Rwanda

In 2003, when the first Global Fund grant was made to Rwanda, 5% of the population was HIV-positive and 250,000 people were living with HIV. Today, the HIV prevalence rate is down to 2.8% for adults among Rwanda’s population of 9 million and all pregnant women accessing ante-natal healthcare are counseled, tested and, where possible, treated to prevent transmission of HIV to their babies. It's estimated that 55% of pregnant women in Rwanda who need prevention of HIV transmission are currently accessing it.

In Rwanda there are currently more than 48,000 people on antiretroviral therapy (ART). However, there are up to 68,000 HIV-positive people who currently still need access to treatment. A strong government commitment backs the principle of comprehensive services to fight HIV and AIDS, yet the healthcare infrastructure is still not strong enough to manage the burden of the epidemic. The Government of Rwanda has determined that strengthening its existing healthcare system must be a priority to halt the rapid spread of HIV, along with rolling out extensive national prevention and treatment programs.

Rwanda Grant Overview

The Global Fund (RED) grant in Rwanda has been decentralizing antiretroviral treatment and patient monitoring services to thirty-four health centers and eight district hospitals. Beyond clinical care, the program also aims to improve the quality of life of people living with HIV and AIDS by providing nutritional supplements and psychosocial support. The existing voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) and ART services are being enhanced by campaigns to improve the level of partner and family participation in testing and treatment programs.

(RED) money in Rwanda supports programs which have already:

• Provided antiretroviral therapy for HIV and AIDS to over 24,000 patients
• Reached over 31,000 women with preventative antiretroviral therapy (ART) to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission
• Provided antiretroviral therapy to over 18,000 HIV-exposed infants and children to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission
• Reached over 2.1 million people with voluntary counseling and testing for prevention of HIV infection
• Reached over 501,000 pregnant women with counseling and services to reduce the risk of mother-to-child-transmission of HIV
• Trained more than 1,000 lab technicians on HIV testing
• Supported more than 125 health facilities providing HIV counseling and testing and more than 150 health facilities providing services for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
• Supported 78 associations of people living with HIV and AIDS