NAFOPHANU Calls for Support to Restore Its Secretariat

The National Forum of People Living with HIV and AIDS Networks in Uganda (NAFOPHANU) has appealed for support to restore its secretariat after its lease at the Church of Uganda premises expired with no possibility of renewal.

This development comes at a time when the premises offered by the Uganda AIDS Commission where NAFOPHANU has been hosted for the past 20 years in Namirembe are being reclaimed by the Church of Uganda. NAFOPHANU has been given until December 2025 to vacate the property.

It is important to note that the end of the lease coincided with a critical period when executive orders issued by the President of the United States resulted in the freezing of funding to Uganda and several other countries worldwide. This situation significantly affected NAFOPHANU.
Staff were laid off, and the organization can no longer adequately meet the infrastructure needs of the community. Without proper infrastructure and programming, NAFOPHANU is unable to function effectively.

According to a 2025 Ministry of Health report, public services for people living with HIV have been destabilized and demobilized, a situation with far-reaching consequences—particularly for the 200,000 PLHIV who are not yet in care, the 200,000 who have been lost to care or missed their appointments, and the 60,000 who are not virally suppressed (MOH, April 2025).

The Executive Director of NAFOPHANU, Flavia Kyomukama, noted that the organization has been offered two temporary recovery workstations at the UAC Resource Centre as they continue fundraising for the “Home of Champions,” which is intended to host the NAFOPHANU Secretariat in the future.

Flavia further explained that NAFOPHANU previously hosted five PLHIV networks such as Uganda Young Positives (UYP), Positive Men’s Union (POMU), the Uganda Network of Religious Leaders Living with and Affected by HIV and AIDS (UNERELA+), Support on AIDS and Life Through Telephone Helpline (SALT), and the Global Coalition of Women Against AIDS in Uganda (GCOWAU)—all of which have since closed operations.

She appreciates the presence of two VHTs per village and two CHEWs per parish, calling it a strong intervention. However, she emphasizes that “people living with HIV are unique because we share lived experiences and encourage one another. Without our involvement, it is difficult for services to achieve their targets,” she explains.

“As mutual partners—not merely targets or beneficiaries of services NAFOPHANU and our members remind and assure the public and government leadership that we remain committed to our mission. We continue to represent and speak for the 1.5 million Ugandans living with HIV.

We will rise again, consolidate the remaining resources, recover the losses caused by funding cuts, and continue mobilizing and supporting the 200,000 PLHIV not yet in care, the 200,000 lost to follow-up, and the 60,000 who are not virally suppressed.

However, this can only be possible with adequate support,” Flavia emphasizes.
NAFOPHANU calls upon the government and its partners to support and invest in the restoration of the National PLHIV Secretariat – NAFOPHANU.

This will enable the “Home of Champions” Secretariat to continue its mandate of mobilizing communities, providing treatment literacy and psychosocial support, and monitoring the quality of health service delivery. The Secretariat will also host the PLHIV SACCO and the Wellness Centre.

They also believe that when Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) provide plans for the use of the 0.1% HIV mainstreaming funds, these funds should support the now-frozen PLHIV community public services. The 0.1% allocation should be utilized to fill the existing gap, given the urgent need to support PLHIV who rely on peer support.

Additionally, they call for deliberate support from the Ministry of Health to enable NAFOPHANU to implement a Community Health Integration campaign. This campaign would mobilize communities to understand and accept integration, while also exploring innovations to ensure that integration strengthens rather than disintegrates the PLHIV community.

The Chairperson of the NAFOPHANU Board, Salome Atim, notes that since the funding freeze, the organization has lacked the community resources needed to support activities such as strengthening community systems, improving adherence, and protecting PLHIV to help them achieve better health outcomes.
She adds that additional resources are required to enhance community literacy, counseling, enrollment into care, and adherence.

She also emphasizes the need to continue educating communities to eliminate violence arising from HIV-related issues and to address other concerns that may emerge within the community.