Progress and Setbacks: ELCT Confronts HIV Challenges Amid U.S. Aid Freeze
As World AIDS Day approaches, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) reports both remarkable progress and serious setbacks in HIV care. After a U.S. aid freeze abruptly ended a major USAID-funded youth HIV program that had reached over 250,000 people, ELCT’s ability to support medication adherence, nutrition, and follow-up care was sharply reduced—placing vulnerable communities at risk. With help from ELCA companions, some essential services are restarting, but need remains high.