What we do…

Pairing internationally acclaimed research with community-driven development programmes, the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation strives to improve the health and wellbeing of the communities we serve while contributing to local and national health policy.

DTHF has established clinical research sites in under-resourced areas where people are at high risk of HIV infection. With the cooperation of community leaders we provide opportunities for residents to assist us in research studies and programmes. Our research includes a range of HIV prevention modalities, vaccine candidates, treatment delivery and adherence, clinical trials, groundbreaking new drugs, and innovative technologies to address tuberculosis transmission. In addition to biomedical research, a socio-behavioural division seeks to understand the complex drivers affecting individual health-seeking behaviour.

Adolescents are of particular concern, as well as key populations – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer (LGBTIQ), sex workers and men who have sex with men. A fleet of five mobile units assist in taking a wellness package, including HIV testing, to these hard-to-reach groups who tend to avoid conventional clinics. The DTHF Youth Centre in Masiphumelele also provides sexual and reproductive health services alongside educational and recreational activities.

The DTHF research, clinical and community outreach staff share a common purpose to lessen the impact of the HIV epidemic on individuals, families and communities through innovation and collaboration.