Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV has increased from 45% to 85%, while new infections among children have decreased significantly, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Despite these advances, the decline in international funding undermines the gains made and fuels the idea that HIV is now a thing of the past. This situation arises in a context of reduced US funding for the fight against HIV. “These financial constraints necessitate the optimization of resources to ensure the continuity of vital activities on the ground,” said Marie-Margrete Molnar, UNAIDS Country Director in the DRC, following a meeting held last March in Kinshasa with Liévin Kapend, Executive Secretary of the National Multisectoral AIDS Control Program (PNMLS).

Faced with these challenges, the Congolese government is continuing the implementation of the 2023-2027 National Strategic Plan. This commitment was reinforced in June 2025 with the launch of the Presidential Initiative for the Elimination of Childhood AIDS (IPESE) by 2030, with funding of $10 million. The objective is to reduce inequalities in access to treatment. Today, only 44% of the approximately 50,000 children living with HIV receive antiretroviral treatment, compared to nearly 90% of adults.

AIDS ORPHANS THE FORGOTTEN ONES OF WRESTLING?

Behind the statistics lie thousands of often invisible stories: those of AIDS orphans. Already scarred by the disease and the loss of their parents, these children continue to face stigma, hardship, and exclusion. Accessing education, receiving healthcare, or finding a foster family remains a daily challenge. For Nana Bolodjua, president of the Élan de Coeur association, solidarity also takes the form of culture. For eight years, the association has organized benefit concerts blending classical and contemporary music to support orphans and children living with HIV. “Words of compassion fall silent in our ears because they speak directly to our hearts.”

“Even today, those words resonate with me as they did during the second edition of our charity gala,” she confides. “For eight years, our association, Élan de Coeur, has organized these events with a clear objective: to create a genuine chain of solidarity around vulnerable children and AIDS orphans.” The funds raised contribute to the education of children aged 6 to 17, to the financing of vocational training for young people aged 18 to 24 living with HIV, while also promoting classical and contemporary music through a major annual concert. The eighth edition was held on July 3, 2026, at the Showbiz venue in Kinshasa, notably featuring the Fatima Choir.

MALAÏKA, THE FACE OF ALL THE FORGOTTEN CHILDREN

A highlight of the evening, the artistic performance Malaïka deeply moved the audience. Performed by storytellers and accompanied by classical music and percussion, this work tells the story of a little girl born HIV-positive. Her father, a farmer, contracts HIV after an injury in his field and later succumbs to the disease. Her mother, also HIV-positive, gives birth to Malaïka, who survives only thanks to the generosity of kind-hearted people.

This fictional story, however, reflects the fate of many children in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It serves as a reminder that behind the statistics lie lives turned upside down and that solidarity can truly change a destiny. Present in Kinshasa, Pointe-Noire, and other cities in the sub-region, the Élan de Coeur association continues this mission with the support of partners such as Rawbank and TMB (Trust Merchant Bank). Hundreds of vulnerable children have thus found hope again thanks to this chain of solidarity.

At a time when international funding is dwindling, these grassroots initiatives demonstrate that the fight against HIV cannot rely solely on governments and donors. Progress has been made, but the battle is far from over. Behind every statistic lies a life, a family, a child still waiting for solidarity to continue to be shown.