Zambian government’s Pledge of US$3 Million to the Global Fund pleasing

By Carol Nawina Kachenga

CITAMplus is pleased that the Zambian government has made a pledge of US$3 Million over a period of 3 years towards the Global Fund to Fight Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS & Malaria (GFATM).

This has been our call since 2014. In March this year, CITAMplus led a procession of persons infected and affected by the three diseases, including women and girls, key populations, persons with disabilities and youths calling for a fully funded Global Fund. The march was from the Cathedral of the Holy Cross through the Ministry of Health and ended at the Swedish Embassy where a petition with more than 400 signatures was handed over to the Deputy Swedish Ambassador, petitioning governments and world leaders to support the Global Fund.

With records showing that Zambia has received US$ 883, 850, 928 worth of support from the Global Fund since 2002, it became imperative that it also pledges in order to save lives not only in Zambia but the world over.

I really wish Winston Zulu was alive to see this day when Zambia finally makes a pledge to the Global Fund.

We are glad that the call by CITAMplus and other Non-Governmental Organisations on the Zambian government has finally been heeded to. We are further hopeful that the government will honour its pledge.

In December 2014, CITAMplus led civil society organisations working around HIV/AIDS and TB with UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and prominent South African musician Yvonne Chaka Chaka, and met with the then Minister of Health Dr Joseph Kasonde, who indicated at that time that Zambia would make a pledge in the next Global Fund replenishment. Since then, CITAMplus has been working hard through its citizen-led grassroots advocates and the youth-led Real Change Fellows to ensure that this is made public before or at the pledging conference which took place in Montreal 16 -17 September 2016.

Though the pledge has come after the replenishment conference, it is great news for us, as well as communities infected and affected by HIV, TB and Malaria. We need to make sure that our actions domestically are consistent with the international efforts to fight the diseases and put an end to AIDS, TB and Malaria by 2030. We need to reverse the trend and increase our overall national budget for health as well as complete construction of the promised 650 health posts.

We note that only 10 African countries pledged and we commend all of them for their support to this noble cause.

The Author is the Executive Director of CITAM Plus, a local Zambian NGO that was registered in June 2005 to help disseminate information on TB/HIV and AIDS co-infection through community sensitisation by members of the organization, most of whom have had TB and are now cured and some of whom are living with HIV and AIDS and have suffered from TB at one time or another in their life.