Children at a Table

Recognizing Success, Deepening Commitment to Progress in Rwanda

Zonta International and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF have been in close partnership since 1972, helping UNICEF advance the status of women and children worldwide through education and health services.

On December 1, 2015, we commemorate World AIDS Day.

Today, and every day, we are grateful to our partners who join the U.S. Fund for UNICEF in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Since Zonta International began its support for UNICEF for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV in Rwanda seven years ago, significant progress has been made to achieve an HIV-free generation in Rwanda. Now, 97 percent of health facilities offer  PMTCT services, 92 percent uptake of antiretroviral (ART) drugs for PMTCT, and 68 percent of children and 85 percent of adults are on ART. As of June 2014, the mother-to-child transmission rate is 1.83 percent, representing a significant reduction in PMTCT and putting Rwanda on track to achieve an HIV-free generation. 

The U.S. Fund for UNICEF joins Zonta International in celebrating this success, while also recognizing the hard work will continue to sustain this progress and address continued challenges, including focusing attention on adolescents.

With Zonta International’s support, UNICEF Rwanda is continuing to improve the delivery and uptake of equitable and quality PMTCT and pediatric HIV care and treatment. UNICEF is also improving access to quality comprehensive knowledge and services for prevention of HIV among adolescents, as well as strengthening the capacity for delivery of care.

It is only through partnership that these achievements can be celebrated, and this work can continue.  

 

©UNICEF Rwanda/2014/Muellenmeister.