Nkumbu is 24 years old and has just finished his medical school exams in Lusaka. He’s been sober for six months. “I still can’t believe it,” he says. “Six months ago, I was wandering the streets thinking: am I ever going to make it in life? But today, I’m here.”

Growing up, Nkumbu dreamed of becoming a doctor. “There are no doctors in my family. I thought I’d become the first.” But alcohol derailed his journey early on. He began drinking in high school to overcome social anxiety. “My first girlfriend, I met her while I was intoxicated, so I thought this really worked.” What started as weekend partying turned into a habit. Eventually, his dependence led him to drop out of medical school twice.

Raised by his aunt after the death of his parents, Nkumbu recalls her heartbreak the day he was suspended from school for drinking. “She didn’t say a word on the drive home. That should have been the wake-up call. I lost faith in myself and my ability to finish medical school. I was drunkenness, day in and day out—until I found Sanity House.’’

Sanity House: A safe space to heal

Located in Lusaka, Sanity House is a rehabilitation and harm reduction centre offering a safe space for people who use drugs. Through medical, psychosocial, and vocational services, the centre builds a family-like community that helps clients heal and re-enter society with dignity and purpose. Many of the staff, including Daniel Mbazima, House Manager, are in recovery themselves and serve as mentors and role models.

Routine testing at Sanity House reveals an alarming HIV prevalence of 26% among people who use illicit drugs, compared to the national average of 11%. In Zambia, people who inject drugs (PWID) face various vulnerabilities. A 2022 bio-behavioural survey found HIV prevalence among PWID to be 7.3% in Lusaka, 21.3% in Ndola, and 12.2% in Livingstone.

According to UNAIDS, around 30,000 people injected drugs in Zambia in 2023, and 1.3 million people were living with HIV. Yet, access to harm reduction services remains limited due to stigma, criminalization of drug use, and inadequate support. In this context, Sanity House is reducing the risk of HIV infection by helping prevent addiction and giving young people like Nkumbu another chance to get back on track and pursue their life goals.

“Rehab is one day at a time. One day turns to ten, ten turns to a month. And now, six months later, I’m back in class,” Nkumbu says. “The people I used to drink with… some are dead, others are struggling to continue their studies, are in the army or even in prison.”

At Sanity House, Nkumbu found not only a way out of addiction but also restored hope. “The other patients reminded me how great I am. Thanks to them, I began to see it again in myself, to see how far I’ve come and I told myself: I got this.”

Nkumbu is now a youth advocate on Zambian television, sharing his story to raise awareness about youth and substance use. When asked about his first love, now a pilot in South Africa, he laughs. “Maybe she flew past me. I’ve got to get myself together first. I’m trending now, maybe she’s even seeing it.”

Recovery is only possible when communities are adequately supported

Daniel Mbazima, House Manager at Sanity House, has witnessed many lives transformed at the centre. “Lasting change requires sustained community support and investment,” he says “The high rate of substance use combined with a lack of integrated health services is very alarming. We urgently need programmes that link addiction recovery with essential healthcare services, particularly HIV, TB and Hepatitis C prevention and treatment, among others. Stigma remains one of the biggest barriers, preventing people who inject drugs from seeking help. Addressing these challenges demands greater support and financing for interventions like we implement at Sanity House.”

Clinton Kruger, a former client and now peer mentor at the centre, adds: “Recovery is possible. I’m the living proof of that. I want to show the world that there is hope, not only for those struggling with substance use, but also for their loved ones. Don’t give up on us. Sometimes, the care of just one person can be the only light in the darkness that addiction creates. You are not alone. Reach out. There is help, and there is a way forward.”

As we celebrate the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on the theme “the Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention” UNAIDS and UNODC call for urgent and coordinated action to decriminalize drug use and possession for personal use and to scale up harm reduction strategies and community-led programmes. Evidence shows that harm reduction, including needle exchange, opioid agonist therapy, and overdose prevention reduces HIV transmission and improves health outcomes. Yet, these services remain underfunded and inaccessible in many countries, including Zambia.

Nkumbu’s story is one of resilience, community, and the power of second chances. “I could have caught HIV, or worse. But I didn’t. I’m lucky. And now I get to help others.”

By working alongside and supporting communities, we can break the cycle of drug abuse and illicit trafficking by addressing its root causes, investing in prevention, and strengthening health, education and social support systems.

The Tate Modern art gallery in London paid a powerful tribute to lives lost to AIDS by exhibiting the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt which features hand-stitched panels commemorating people whose lives were cut short by the disease. It is the largest ever showing of the UK Quilt in history.

On Monday 16 June UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Christine Stegling paid a special visit to the exhibition. “It was beautiful and sombre in equal measures,” Ms Stegling reflected. “I was reminded of the loss we have all experienced. Of the dark times we have come from.”

Created in the 1980s, the UK AIDS Quilt contains 42 panels, each made up of a collection of smaller panels, created by loved ones of those who died of AIDS. The idea of an AIDS memorial quilt started in the United States as a way to commemorate the lives of people who died from AIDS-related causes. It paid tribute to friends and loved ones as sadly, those who died were often not given funerals because either their families rejected them, or funeral homes refused to take their bodies for fear of infection.

Ms Stegling’s visit underscored the importance of remembrance and perseverance, and the need to centre human dignity in public health responses. The exhibition reminds people how far the world has come in the fight against HIV—today, 30 million of the 40 million people living with HIV are on life-saving antiretroviral treatment. However, it also demonstrates profoundly that there is much still to be done to tackle the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV.

Ms Stegling’s visit was part of a broader mission to the UK. In her remarks at the British Group Inter-Parliamentary Union Pride Reception the next day, Ms Stegling warned of the devastating impact of recent funding cuts to foreign assistance, particularly the reductions in US funding and r in UK development assistance which are already undermining progress against AIDS. These cuts included defunding community-led efforts which are critical for reaching all people at risk for and living with HIV.

“Community-led efforts customized to meet the needs of LGBTIQ+ communities were among the first services defunded,” she said, highlighting the disproportionate impact on marginalized groups. UNAIDS estimates that without previous funding levels fully restored, or offset, there could be up to 6.6 million additional new HIV infections and additional 4.2 million AIDS-related deaths.

Despite these challenges, Ms Stegling emphasized the power of communities to drive progress. “Ending AIDS is no longer aspirational—it is achievable,” she told parliamentarians and civil society leaders. She called on the UK to continue its legacy of leadership by investing in equitable access to lifesaving HIV services and by supporting grassroots organizations critical for connecting people to healthcare. “Community leadership, compassion, courage—and solidarity—this is what works,” she said, urging renewed commitment to the 2030 goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat.

Ms Stegling’s UK visit, including her engagement with lawmakers and civil society during Pride Month, served as a poignant reminder that while the fight against AIDS is far from over, it can be with sufficient support for the right approaches. Her presence at the Tate Modern and her powerful advocacy at the parliamentarian reception reaffirm UNAIDS’ call to action: to fund what works, protect those most at risk, and ensure that no one is left behind in the global AIDS response.

GENEVA, 25 June 2025— UNAIDS and Flanders have strengthened their joint efforts to combat the AIDS pandemic in Africa by signing a new cooperation agreement covering the period 2025—2026.

“I want to thank Flanders for their reliable and continued support to UNAIDS and for their strong leadership during this critical phase of the AIDS response,” said UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima. “In these uncertain times, the consistency of Flanders’ engagement is highly appreciated and greatly valued.”

The agreement was signed during the 56th meeting of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board, with the Flemish delegation headed by Katrien de Pauw, General Representative of Flanders to the United Nations in Geneva.

“To end AIDS by 2030, we must stay the course—we're close, now is not the time to give up. Flanders remains firmly committed to a sustainable finish,” said Ms de Pauw.

The €1.5 million contribution includes an annual €250,000 in core unspecified funds, €250,000 per year in core specified support for Mozambique, and €250,000 per year in core specified support for the seven other most affected countries of Southern Africa.

“This funding from Flanders will make a significant difference to the lives of people living with and affected by HIV in Mozambique, especially for women and girls and other marginalized and vulnerable groups of people. Hartelijk Bedankt Vlaanderen (Thank you Flanders)!” said Phillipe-Serge Degernier, a Belgian national and UNAIDS country director for Mozambique.

With 2.4 million people living with HIV in 2023, Mozambique has the second largest HIV epidemic after South Africa. A total of 2.1 million people in the country are on treatment to keep them well. However, the pause in US funding and the reduction to other international funding streams have complicated efforts to maintain HIV treatment, care and prevention efforts in the country and across the region.

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.