2026: The first funding cycle
The first funding cycle (2026-2028) focuses on five countries: South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Mozambique. In close collaboration with the EmpowHER Fund Advisory Committee, Aidsfonds has contracted 9 organisations for an amount of €4.2 million euro. All programs are led by (young) women and have started implementation from April 1st onwards.
Intended outcomes and project activities
The EmpowHER Fund is designed to bridge the gap between the availability of new (including lenacapavir and the Dual Prevention Pill) and existing HIV-prevention options and the ability of women and girls to access, choose, and benefit from them. To achieve this change, the EmpowHER Fund works towards 3 outcome areas:
1. More women and girls increasingly access and adopt HIV- prevention options
Project activities include:
- Improving PrEP literacy
- Digital awareness campaigns
- Public & University health system strengthening
2. Policies create equitable access for women and girls to HIV prevention
Project activities include:
- Advocacy towards Ministry of Health
- Influencing National & district PrEP guidelines and policies
- Improve dialogue between HIV- Prevention advocacy mechanisms
- Engagement in national platforms (e.g. SANAC/ Prevention TWG)
3. Women and girls-led movements lead advocacy for long-term change
Project activities include:
- Training of lenacapavir advocacy champions
- Capacity strengthening of smaller feminist organisations
Together, project activities under these outcomes ultimately contribute to EmpowHER’s intended impact: Women and girls in all their diversity use the HIV-prevention method of their choice.
Join us in creating change!
For the EmpowHER Fund, Aidsfonds serves as a catalyst, aiming to inspire, connect and facilitate its growth into a broader movement. We therefore invite every stakeholder – from grassroots organisations to global health leaders and from individual donors to corporate partners – to be part of a transformative journey. EmpowHER is not just addressing HIV prevention; we are dismantling systemic barriers and empowering women to control their health and futures.
Invest in the EmpowHER Fund. Invest in women.
The urgency of the EmpowHER Fund
The HIV prevention landscape has evolved significantly, developing innovative solutions that could transform women’s health. Breakthrough technologies like the daily oral PrEP pill, monthly Dapivirine vaginal ring, two-month injectable cabotegravir, and upcoming long acting innovations Lenacapavir (twice a year), Apretude (every two months) and the dual prevention pill, offer transformative potential to reduce HIV infections among girls and young women. However, the current landscape is marked by significant obstacles.
Women face challenges in accessing HIV prevention. Clinics struggle with supply chain issues, high costs, and regulatory delays, often lacking essential prevention options. Healthcare workers may be untrained or unaware of available methods. Women themselves encounter profound challenges: social stigma, limited awareness, and insufficient resources block their path to protection. Intersecting vulnerabilities – including criminalisation, service exclusion, and safety concerns, shaped by realities of income inequality, sex work, drug use, sexual orientation or gender identity – further complicate access.
Next to this, drastic funding cuts for advocacy and the 82% reduction in HIV program support by the US government, combined with conservative political trends and a shift to male-dominated decision making, further deprioritize women’s health needs. Healthcare access remains limited, and social stigma continues to prevent many from seeking prevention.
