CASE for support
CASE FOR SUPPORT
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
(EGPAF) has been guided by a single mission: fighting
for an AIDS-free generation. Today, we are closer to
achieving this goal than we have ever been. Since the
peak of the epidemic in the early 2000s, EGPAF and
the global health community have achieved something
remarkable: an 83% reduction in new HIV diagnoses and
deaths in children. We have proven that this epidemic can
be controlled, prevented, and ultimately ended.
And yet, we stand at a critical threshold where momen
tum can either accelerate or collapse. Rising populations,
demographic shifts, withdrawal of government financing,
declining treatment availability, and interrupted services
have created the conditions for a potential backslide.
At the same time, treatment programs that have been
impactful are losing people to supply chain breaks,
interrupted services, understaffed clinics, and
health systems stretched too thin to reach the
communities that need them.
We are at a crossroads. Without decisive action
and strategic investment, the gains of the past
two decades could be reversed. We must act
now out of clarity—we know what works, we
know where the gaps are, and we have the
opportunity and the will to close them.
For nearly
four decades…
CASE FOR SUPPORT
Photo Credit: Kevin Ouma 2023
*UNAIDS Epidemiological Estimates 2026
Despite recent funding setbacks
we are Closer Than Ever to an
AIDS-free generation
A Historic Global
Health Achievement
CASE FOR SUPPORT
EGPAF is uniquely positioned to lead
this final push. Our foundation has
38 years of proven, measurable impact.
We are not starting from scratch.
We are accelerating from a position
of deep institutional strength with a
coordinated global movement to end
AIDS in children, youth, and families.
By 2028, through strategic investment,
innovation, and government
partnership, we will achieve:
A 95% reduction in children acquiring HIV from peak
(fewer than 20,000 new cases annually).
A 95% reduction in AIDS-related deaths in children from
peak (fewer than 20,000 deaths annually).
Strengthened, sustainable health systems,
government-led, government-financed, and equipped
with digital innovation.
Sustained local capacity in the top countries
contributing 90% of HIV diagnoses in children.
The Final Mile
CASE FOR SUPPORT
And it is achievable because EGPAF is not asking
governments and partners to trust a new idea;
we are asking them to scale a proven one.
THIS IS NOT A VISION.
This is a plan.
Photo Credit: MZenyuh Malawi 2026
CASE FOR SUPPORT
CASE FOR SUPPORT
Decades of embedded presence and
infrastructure-building have
positioned us to move faster than
any organization can.
TWO STRENGTHS MAKE THIS POSSIBLE:
DEEP GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL
PARTNERSHIPS
We operate as technical partners in the countries with
the highest burden of pediatric HIV across sub-Saharan
Africa, with deep relationships inside those countries.
We support Ministries of Health, national systems, civil
society, and frontline communities in adapting local
solutions informed by global insights. This means our
solutions are owned and sustained by countries in
partnership with impacted communities.
GLOBAL MATERNAL AND
PEDIATRIC EXPERTISE
We know what works for children because we have
spent nearly four decades proving it in the world’s most
challenging settings. We understand pediatric medicine
in ways that matter: dosing for growing bodies,
adherence strategies for young children, the mother-
baby pair, and the clinical pathways that lead to health.
This expertise, combined with our sustained presence
in local communities, has helped drive the dramatic
reduction in pediatric HIV diagnoses and deaths globally.
Our Unique Position
Photo Credit: Nurse Selloane at a Mobile Clinic in Leribe Lesotho by M Morris
250 children acquire
HIV every day.
1.3 million children are
living with HIV
yet only 55% have access
to treatment.
Approximately 93,000
children acquired HIV
in 2025.
86% of these cases occur in
sub-Saharan Africa.
61,000 children die
from HIV-related
causes each year.
70% of HIV diagnoses in
children occur when mothers
cannot access timely
diagnosis, treatment, and
support.
Without treatment, 50% of
children living with HIV die
before their second birthday.
The Global
Reality
* UNAIDS Epidemiological Estimates 2026
** UNAIDS Special Report for the 26th
International AIDS Conference
*** UNAIDS Fact Sheet 2026
**** Mortality of Infected and Uninfected Infants
Born to HIV-infected Mothers in Africa: A
Pooled Analysis. The Lancet, 2004.
**
****
***
CASE FOR SUPPORT
Our goal to achieve a 95% reduction in
children living with HIV is ambitious,
but with resources it is achievable. We are
launching a campaign, Closer Than Ever, to
make our goal of an AIDS-free generation a
reality—getting as close to no new infections
as we possibly can.
This is the most ambitious resource mobilization effort in our history.
It is is critically important as other funders, including government,
reduce their support at the same time needs are escalating. We will
not reach the children and families missing from care unless we
both diversify and increase funding to make programming available
and resilient to political shifts and donor fatigue.
To achieve an AIDS-free generation, EGPAF is investing strategically
across five integrated pillars designed to close remaining gaps,
strengthen health systems, and accelerate progress.
Closer Than Ever:
Achieving a 95%
reduction in HIV
infections in children
A $25 MILLION INVESTMENT STRATEGY
CASE FOR SUPPORT
WE WILL:
PARTNER WITH COUNTRIES AND COMMUNITIES
Strong partnerships are the foundation of sustainable change. EGPAF will
deepen relationships with governments, communities, local organizations,
and others in highest-burden countries such as Nigeria, Mozambique,
Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and South Africa. We will provide
strategic financing, rapid response to urgent gaps where new cases are rising,
and provide innovative programming to close gaps. We will work alongside
communities to ensure that solutions are designed for local context and
owned by the people they serve.
WE WILL:
ADVOCATE LOCALLY, REGIONALLY,
NATIONALLY, AND GLOBALLY
Policy change and political will are critical multipliers. EGPAF will advance
advocacy at local, regional, national, and global levels—working with civil so
ciety, community liaisons, and technical advisors to shape guidelines, policies,
and financing priorities that center the needs of women and children. We will
ensure that the voices of mothers, children, and families drive urgency and
accountability at every level. We will use strategic storytelling and community
voices to drive demand for services and shift the narrative around pediatric
AIDS from tragedy to empowerment.
WE WILL:
DELIVER DATA-DRIVEN ACCOUNTABILITY FOR CHILDREN
Data is the foundation of accountability. Digital health and real-time data turn
visibility into action, and action into results for children. EGPAF will advance
data collection, analysis, and use to ensure visibility into what is working, who
is being reached, and where gaps remain. We will develop data systems that
are not just for reporting but for action—systems that identify high-risk moth
ers and children, predict treatment failure before it happens, and enable faster
intervention. EGPAF will deploy world-class technical leadership to advance
AI-powered tools, including tools that support clinicians during patient visits,
predictive analytics that identify high-risk patients before they’re lost, and
national data platforms that enable real-time decision-making.
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CASE FOR SUPPORT
WE WILL:
PROVIDE GLOBAL AND LOCAL TECHNICAL EXPERTISE
Innovation is the engine of transformation— global and local technical
expertise turns evidence into programs that work. EGPAF is positioned to
drive innovation at scale. Our research, advocacy, technical assistance,
and program delivery in the world’s most impacted regions have been
foundational to the 83% reduction in pediatric HIV diagnoses and deaths.
Now we can direct that same expertise toward closing the remaining gaps.
We work across more than 1,000 health facilities in partnership with nearly
800 local organizations, supported by a field-based workforce of over 700 staff
embedded in country systems. This on-the-ground presence, combined with
our deep relationships with national governments and communities, positions
us uniquely to identify what’s needed, test solutions, evaluate impact,
and bring innovations to scale. Whether testing new drugs and diagnostics or
introducing and scaling interventions that address urgent health needs, EGPAF
has proven we can support countries in adopting innovations that work.
EGPAF brings together the people shaping the future of pediatric HIV, from
researchers and clinicians to governments and global health partners. By
connecting global expertise with the realities of care in high-burden countries,
we help move promising ideas from discussion to action, and bring the world
closer to a day when no child is living with HIV.
WE WILL:
BUILD ORGANIZATIONAL RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainable change requires strong, adaptive organizations. As country
governments lead direct service delivery, EGPAF will evolve toward a model
of influence, technical leadership, and government partnership. This includes
building systems for data stewardship, research and innovation, workforce
development, and diverse resource streams. We will ensure that EGPAF
remains the trusted technical partner to governments for years to come—not
dependent on any single donor or program, but resilient and focused on the
goal of an AIDS-free generation.
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ENDING AIDS IN CHILDREN MEANS
preventing the transmission of HIV
while ensuring every child already
living with HIV is diagnosed, treated,
and able to thrive.
WITH YOUR PARTNERSHIP, IT IS POSSIBLE.
Photo Credit: Makopano Letsatsi
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CASE FOR SUPPORT
Your Investment
WE SEEK $25 MILLION BY THE END OF 2028 TO POWER
THE CLOSER THAN EVER CAMPAIGN. THIS INVESTMENT
CAN TAKE MANY FORMS:
•
Traditional support: direct cash, checks, or wire transfers
•
Non-traditional giving: donor-advised funds, IRA
distributions, charitable gift annuities, planned giving
commitments, or multi-year pledges
•
Blended support: combinations of cash, in-kind contributions,
employee giving programs, or innovative partnerships
Whatever form your investment takes, it will move us closer to a
future where there will be a last child born with HIV. That child could
be born in the next few years.
What Your
Investment
Will Achieve
BY INVESTING IN CLOSER THAN EVER, YOU WILL:
•
Transform the lives of mothers, children, and families living with
and at risk of HIV.
•
Strengthen health systems across sub-Saharan Africa,
building sustainable, government-led infrastructure that
will serve communities for generations.
•
Demonstrate global innovation and show what is
possible when resources meet expertise, commitment,
and partnership.
•
Stand beside us as a visionary partner in one of
global health’s most urgent and achievable goals.
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CASE FOR SUPPORT
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THIS IS THE MOMENT.
THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY.
Your partnership
determines whether
we seize it.
Photo Credit: Adelaja Temilade
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CASE FOR SUPPORT
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CASE FOR SUPPORT
Just one generation ago, HIV during pregnancy almost
always meant that a child was at high risk of being born
with HIV. Today, thanks to extraordinary scientific advances,
that outcome is almost entirely preventable. Over the past
25 years, researchers have developed medicines that allow
people living with HIV to lead long, healthy lives. When
taken during pregnancy, these drugs reduce the chance of
passing HIV to a baby to less than 1%.
Prevention has also entered a new era with the development
of long-acting HIV medicines. A recent groundbreaking
clinical trial showed that a twice-yearly injection of lenaca
pavir prevented 100% of HIV cases among women who
received it, marking one of the most significant prevention
breakthroughs since the discovery of antiretroviral therapy.
Children born with HIV are now diagnosed earlier, treated
with medicines designed specifically for them, and have
the opportunity to grow into healthy adults.
Even more exciting, scientists are pursuing what once
seemed impossible: a cure. Promising research involving
powerful antibodies, therapeutic vaccines, and gene-based
approaches is bringing us closer to a future where people
may be able to control—or even eliminate—HIV without
lifelong treatment. The science has never been more
hopeful, and for the first time, ending AIDS in children is
an achievable goal rather than an aspiration.
From Aspiration to
Achievable:
WHY ENDING AIDS IN CHILDREN IS NOW POSSIBLE
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In 1986, Elizabeth Glaser faced a
mother’s worst nightmare.
She was diagnosed with HIV, and had unknowingly passed it to her
children, Ariel and Jake. After the profound loss of her daughter
Ariel in 1988, she made a choice that would transform global health:
She refused to accept that this outcome was inevitable. She refused
to let her children’s diagnoses be the end of their story.
She decided to fight.
Elizabeth’s fight was rooted in the simple, powerful belief that a
mother’s determination to save her children can become a move
ment to save millions of children. She didn’t have all the answers.
She didn’t know if the treatment would work. But she knew that
silence was death, that action was essential, and that children
deserved the same medical innovation and care that adults received.
She joined with her two close friends, Susan DeLaurentis and Susie
Zeegen to create the Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
EGPAF was born from a shared maternal urgency, and we have
never lost it.
Today, we launch the Closer Than Ever campaign, our most ambi
tious resource mobilization effort in our history. We are honoring
Elizabeth’s legacy by embodying the spirit that drove her: a refusal
to accept the status quo, a belief that change is possible, and an
unwavering commitment to children.
We have the tools, the knowledge, and the partnerships to finish
what she started. But we also know, as she did, that progress is
fragile and that complacency costs lives. We know that we must
act now, with urgency and vision.
The Closer Than Ever campaign is Elizabeth’s unfinished work. It is a
mother’s fight, scaled globally. It is a commitment to the children she
fought for, and to every child born today who deserves to grow up in
a world free from AIDS.
Elizabeth Glaser’s Vision
THERE WILL BE A LAST CHILD
BORN WITH HIV.
That child could be born in the next five years
if we act now, with the urgency and the tools
the moment demands.
Join us.
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
1120 19th St NW, Suite 500, Washington DC 20036
For more information, contact:
Danielle Tranzillo | Director, Development
dtranzillo@pedaids.org | Office: 202-280-1531 | Mobile: 203-525-9630
www.pedaids.org
@EGPAF