Nobody can solve the community’s problems, but the community

Last updated on: 19 February 2025

“Partnerships like Breakthrough is critical in innovation, acceleration and sustainability”. We spoke with Happy Betty of the Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation, partner in the Paediatric HIV Breakthrough Partnership, about the achievements of Breakthrough so far, the role of Aidsfonds within this partnership and what is needed to achieve the global goals on children living with HIV.

 

What are you most proud of what Breakthrough has achieved so far?

Partnership like Breakthrough is critical in innovation, acceleration and sustainability. So it’s very prudent that more of partnerships like breakthrough are formed to ensure that interventions are quickly innovated, implementation is accelerated to the community level, and sustainability is fostered.

How do you see the role of Aidsfonds within Breakthrough?

From the EGPAF perspective on the partnership. Aidsfonds has brought on board strong community engagement by capacitating communities to solve their own problems. An example of the village savings and loans associations has been critical in capacitating the community with resources in terms of money to take care of their children, which in turn, responds to the gaps, some of the gaps that we see in healthcare service delivery, like adherence.

What do you think is needed to achieve the global goals on children living with HIV?

Achieving global goals for children living with HIV is going to need collaboration. Collaboration from global to national, up to community levels. Capacitating communities is going to be critical for problem solving, because nobody can solve the community’s problems, but the community.