The U.S. government, through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), has awarded 12 Zambian organizations a total of 3.49 million kwacha through the 2022 PEPFAR Small Grants Program. This funding will enable local organizations to combat HIV by increasing access and equity in the delivery of comprehensive services, combating stigma and discrimination, and increasing incomes for the households of primary caregivers of orphans and vulnerable children. The 12 organizations are community and faith-based non-governmental organizations from the Copperbelt, Eastern, Central, Southern, Western, Northern, and Lusaka provinces.
The PEPFAR Small Grants Program was created to support the work of local community and civil society organizations. The annual funding provides grants in amounts between 155,200 kwacha ($10,000) and 388,000 kwacha ($25,000) to community-led programs that are working to prevent the spread of HIV for all populations, including adolescent girls, young women, and key populations; provide support to orphans and vulnerable children and their households; and conduct democracy and governance activities in support of the national HIV response.
Since 2012, the PEPFAR Small Grants Program has provided funding to over 200 local Zambian organizations. Alumni of the PEPFAR Small Grants Program include Sign Language Channel of Zambia (SLCZ), an organization led by Deaf individuals and assisted by hearing volunteers to empower the Deaf community with education and skills. As a PEPFAR Small Grants recipient, SLCZ provided HIV education for over 300 Deaf children and 86 Deaf and hearing teachers and produced eight sign language videos on HIV prevention, care, and treatment strengthening Deaf children’s capacity to safeguard themselves from HIV.
The U.S. government through PEPFAR Zambia has proudly supported community and civil society organizations in Zambia since the very beginning of PEPFAR, funding the first community and civil society organizations in 2005. Applications for the 2023 Small Grants Program open in January 2023. Visit the U.S. Embassy in Zambia’s website for more information about the PEPFAR Small Grants Program: https://zm.usembassy.gov/pepfar.