Faith-Based Coalition for the Global Fund Sends Letter of Appreciation to Congress

On September 21, the Faith-Based Coalition for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria sent a letter signed by 193 faith leaders thanking members of the House for passing the FY21 appropriations, with hope that the senate will soon pass their FY21 appropriations bill with strong backing for the Global Fund. The faith leaders also urged their representatives to consider robust international funding for the COVID-19 pandemic, including resources to mitigate the impact on those suffering from AIDS, TB, and malaria with a U.S. contribution to the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism when the 4th COVID-19 supplement passes.

As a reminder, researchers at the Imperial College London estimate that in heavily affected countries, COVID-19 could result in a 10% increase in death from HIV, 20 percent in TB and 36 percent in malaria. The pandemic could devastate decades of progress by the Global Fund, saving more than 38 million lives to date, surging deaths in AIDS, TB, and Malaria to numbers we haven’t seen since its peak if we do nothing.

Deeply concerned with the wellbeing of our neighbors both here and around the world, faith leaders from across the United States offer their voices in this letter to uplift these vulnerable populations worldwide during this season of global pandemic.