Are faith-based organizations the future of the AIDS response?

Set within a bright confusion of churches, shops, and noisy bars, it’s easy to miss Circle of Hope’s community post in George, a neighborhood in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka. The fenced blue-and-white building doesn’t register as a health center, let alone part of the Trump administration’s vision for the future of the HIV response.

Inside, the mission is clearer. The three rooms are covered with posters that promote HIV services alongside Christianity. One reads: “Faith + Treatment = Viral Load Suppression Amen.” There is also a logo for the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR.

Along with HIV testing, treatment, and prevention, the post offers only a handful of other services, like checkups for pregnant women and young children. Circle of Hope’s priority is to make it as seamless as possible for someone shopping in the nearby market or coming home from work to drop in and quickly get tested for HIV or pick up their medication.