Namibia

In Namibia, Project HOPE is working to mitigate the impact of HIV through ensuring access to quality health care for vulnerable populations.

About Namibia

map of central Africa including Namibia

Located in sub-Saharan Africa, Namibia sits along the Atlantic Ocean and has a population of 2.5 million people. It is the driest country in the region, situated between the Namib and the Kalahari deserts, and one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world.

Namibia has made progress in reducing poverty since gaining independence from South Africa in 1990, but it is still considered one of the most unequal countries in the world. Around 34% of the working age population is unemployed, and unemployment is even higher among women and youth. Children and women are also disproportionately affected by poverty, with close to 60% of children either living in poverty or at risk of becoming poor.

There are also significant inequities in the realm of public health. Although incidence and mortality has declined in recent years, HIV/AIDS is one of Namibia’s biggest health challenges and the country’s leading cause of death.

The Challenges

The HIV epidemic

Namibia has the sixth highest prevalence of HIV in the world, with around 8% of the population living with HIV (approximately 176,000 people ages 15-64).

HIV is the leading cause of death in the country. The epidemic has led to a large population of orphans and vulnerable children, who are growing up without adult protection or financial support and are at particularly high risk.

Women and girls in Namibia are disproportionately affected by HIV as well, with incidence rates several times higher than men. In 2020, it’s estimated women over 25 will account for 37% of all new infections.

Namibia has one of the highest per capita TB/HIV co-infection burdens — 32% of people infected with HIV also have TB — and ranks among the top 30 high TB burden countries in the world.

Corrugated metal housing outside of Windhoek, Namibia. Photo by James Buck for Project HOPE, 2018

Bringing HOPE to Namibia

Our history in Namibia

Project HOPE has been working to address the burden of HIV in Namibia since 2002. In partnership with local organizations and in close coordination with the Ministry of Health and Social Services and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, we implement programs funded by PEPFAR/USAID and UNICEF to help at-risk populations across the country access treatment, education, counseling, and opportunities to improve their income.

Fighting HIV

We focus on strengthening HIV care and treatment and mitigating the impact of HIV on at-risk populations including orphans and vulnerable children, their caregivers, and adolescent girls and young women.

Through our USAID-funded Namibia HIV Adherence and Retention Project, launched in 2013, we work to provide treatment, care, and support to vulnerable groups living with or affected by HIV. We focus on children first — providing services that are responsive to their needs and their family and community contexts.

Read: “Don’t Wake the Wolf: Pediatric HIV Care in Namibia” >

Through our PEPFAR-funded DREAMS program, launched in 2018, we help reduce the risk and incidence of HIV among adolescent girls and young women. We reach young women with lessons on HIV and gender-based violence prevention, and connect them to job skills and financial literacy training to help them earn an income and avoid relationships that increase their risk of contracting HIV.

Photos: “In Namibia, a Mask Can Build a Future” >

Our Impact

Through the Namibia HIV Adherence and Retention Project, we have improved adherence to antiretroviral therapy for thousands of people across Namibia. In the first half of 2020, we reached around 20,000 orphans and vulnerable children and their caregivers with household services and more than 18,000 people with health education.

Since 2013, we’ve reached over 100,000 orphans and vulnerable children through family-centered care and support — reducing household vulnerability through a range of activities, like providing startup kits and loans for caregivers who are unable to cover the cost of school materials. We’ve also provided caregivers with business management skills, financial literacy training, and links to markets.

Through the DREAMS program, we’ve empowered nearly 20,000 girls and young women across Namibia with education on HIV, as well as job skills and financial literacy training to help them become more independent. We also provide clinical support for survivors of GBV: In 2019, the program reached over 450 adolescent girls and young women with care.