In the expanded One Dollar Initiative (ODI), the Uganda Aids Commission (UAC) is endeavoring to secure a minimum contribution of one dollar, equivalent to approximately 4,000 Uganda Shillings, from each mobile phone user in Uganda.
The aim is to generate sufficient funds to support various HIV/AIDS interventions across the country.
Launched in Uganda in 2018, ODI represents a global resource mobilization strategy for diverse interventions, including funding for HIV/AIDS. Primarily utilized by corporate entities in Uganda, the initiative garnered parliamentary support in 2020 with a target of 850 million shillings.
Dr. Khanakwa Sarah, the head of resource mobilization at UAC, highlighted the initiative’s expansion to encompass the entire population of phone users in Uganda as part of a new resource mobilization strategy.
Presenting the commission’s 2024 resource mobilization plans to journalists, Dr. Khanakwa emphasized the need for a sustainable strategy to ensure the continuity of interventions in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Uganda aims to eliminate HIV/AIDS by 2030 and recognizes the financial challenges associated with the ambitious goal.
Dr. Khanakwa acknowledged the financial gap in HIV/AIDS response programs, citing a shortfall of USD 120.4 million (458 billion Shillings) in the year ending December 2022, out of the required USD 780 million (3 trillion Shillings).
The scaled-up One Dollar Initiative aligns with UAC’s broader agenda to involve the private sector and the general population actively in the final stages of eradicating the AIDS epidemic in Uganda.
With over 34 million mobile phone connections, Dr. Khanakwa proposed that each user contribute at least 1,000 shillings every three months, totaling 4,000 shillings annually.
The commission has established partnerships with leading telecom companies to collect lump-sum contributions at the end of each year.
Noteworthy is the fact that the government contributes only 13.8 percent to the total HIV/AIDS response funding, with the majority coming from donors.
The intensified One Dollar Initiative faces challenges amid threats from donor countries considering withdrawal of funding due to Uganda’s anti-homosexuality act, which they view as a human rights violation.
Dr. Khanakwa suggested cost-saving measures, such as corporate companies including antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) in employees’ insurance policies to alleviate government spending pressures.
Additionally, the commission plans to adopt private sector marketing and distribution techniques to enhance the efficiency of disseminating HIV/AIDS information and prevention tools.
Dr. Byamukama Daniel, the head of HIV prevention at UAC, expressed confidence in achieving the goal of ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
He emphasized the collective responsibility of stakeholders, highlighting the media’s crucial role in dispelling myths, correcting misinformation, and combating the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS.