LGBTQIA+ people are at heightened risk of contracting HIV and struggle to access treatment. Gay men are 23x more likely to contract HIV than heterosexual men. LGBTQIA+ people face significant barriers to accessing prevention and treatment services due to social discrimination, risk of physical violence, and in some countries, imprisonment. (RED)-supported Global Fund grants enable trusted community organizations to provide services in a safe environment so that LGBTQIA+ people have access to prevention, treatment, and care services.

Poverty, gender-based inequality, discrimination, violence, and limited access to education and sexual and reproductive health services can leave women and girls, particularly adolescent girls and young women, more vulnerable to HIV. Addressing these inequities is essential to ensuring women and girls have the knowledge, resources, and agency to protect their health. (RED) supports programs that equip women and girls with knowledge about their bodies and the power to make decisions about their own health. Prevention practices such as education, PrEP, and contraception are encouraged for women and girls who are HIV-negative but face barriers to prevention. For women living with HIV, peer support groups help participants adhere to treatment and address social stigma. These programs also engage boys and men to challenge harmful gender norms and encourage mindset and behavior change.

Community health workers are on the front lines of the fight against HIV, often serving people who formal health systems cannot easily reach. In many of the hardest-hit communities, they are the ones who show up, going door to door to encourage HIV testing, deliver medication, and connect people to care. By building trust and meeting people where they are, community health workers help people stay engaged in treatment over time. Stigma, distance, and distrust of formal health institutions can keep people from seeking care, and community health workers help close that gap. (RED)-supported Global Fund programs help train and equip community health workers so that prevention, testing, and treatment services are available to communities that might otherwise be left behind.

HIV treatment has transformed what it means to live with HIV. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) allows people living with HIV to live long, healthy lives and, when taken consistently, suppresses the virus to undetectable levels so it cannot be sexually transmitted. Yet millions of people still face barriers to starting and staying on treatment, including stigma, distance, and gaps in healthcare access. (RED) helps support programs that expand access to HIV testing, treatment, and the care and support people need to stay on treatment over time. By helping people start treatment and remain engaged in care, these programs improve health outcomes and help prevent new HIV transmissions.

Prevention and education remain among the most powerful tools for stopping HIV before it starts. Comprehensive sex education, access to condoms, and prevention medications like PrEP empower people to protect themselves and make informed decisions about their health. New tools are expanding what’s possible, offering more flexible options that can help overcome barriers like daily adherence and stigma that have historically kept people from using prevention consistently. These programs help expand access to HIV education, testing, and prevention tools so that people have the knowledge and resources they need to protect their health and fewer people acquire HIV in the first place.

Strong health systems are essential to ending HIV and preparing for future health threats. Yet in many low-resource settings, health facilities lack the supplies, trained health workers, data systems, and infrastructure needed to provide quality care and respond to emerging challenges. These programs strengthen the systems that communities rely on every day, from training and equipping health workers to improving supply chains, diagnostics, data systems, and community-based care. By investing in stronger, more resilient health systems, these programs help ensure people can access quality care while strengthening countries’ ability to respond to future diseases and pandemics.