For patients living with TB and HIV, access to nutritious food is just as critical as medicine.

FoodForward SA’s support enables TB HIV Care to provide monthly nutritious food boxes to patients on treatment. This ensures people receive the nourishment they need to stay on treatment, recover, and reduce the spread of infection.

TB HIV Care works across South Africa to provide essential services, including Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) initiation and monitoring, home-based care, health education, psychosocial support, and oral PrEP. Their community-based programs help reduce clinic congestion and make sure medicine reaches the most marginalized populations.

The recent USAID funding freeze has created serious challenges for organisations like TB HIV Care. Cuts to PEPFAR funding, which makes up around 17–18% of South Africa’s HIV response budget, have led to clinic closures, service disruptions, and job losses among healthcare workers. This threatens treatment continuity and increases the risk of new infections and hospitalizations.

In response, TB HIV Care has adapted by streamlining services to focus on essentials, strengthening community-based programs, and supporting innovations like six-month ART dispensation to reduce clinic visits. Despite these challenges, collaboration with partners and donors has helped sustain critical services and maintain patient support on the ground.

As a message to the sector, Nomzamo Vali, Project Manager for TB HIV CARE, shares some practical guidance: “Stay connected with your networks and communities. Advocate for your people and raise your voice to highlight the impact of funding cuts. Support one another by sharing resources and expertise. Most importantly, reassure your communities that we are here for them and encourage them to keep accessing services and engaging with care. Together, we can navigate these challenges and ensure our communities continue to thrive.”