Although external funding kept a successful program active at a South African clinic serving the LGBTQI+ community, the rest of the organization's infrastructure — including the delivery of medications — was forced to end.
Date: 2/26
Region: Africa
Country: South Africa
Topic: Health, Gender Equality & Inclusion
Policy Lens: Global Health Security
Entry Type: Operational Impact
Additional Context: In 2024, the Elton John Foundation began supporting a new program at OUT LGBT Well-Being. It was geared toward gay men engaging in chemsex, the practice of using drugs to enhance sexual experiences, in Johannesburg’s Soweto township. It’s a population particularly at risk of contracting HIV.
By early 2025, clients in OUT’s chemsex program went from an average treatment retention rate of 40% to 90% and while the Elton John Foundation continued to support the program after USAID’s collapse, the rest of OUT’s infrastructure and programming was frozen or terminated, affecting the organization's ability to continue its operations.
Source: Devex