About

The Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation (DTHF) developed from the HIV Research Unit at New Somerset Hospital in the early 1990’s. The Unit was acclaimed as one of the first public clinics to offer antiretroviral therapy to those living with HIV. In January 2004 Professor Robin Wood and Associate Professor Linda-Gail Bekker registered the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation as a non profit organisation and established the head office at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town.

Supported by Emeritus Archbishop Desmond and Mrs Leah Tutu, the Foundation has extended its activities to include HIV treatment, prevention, and training, as well as tuberculosis management and monitoring, in some of the most vulnerable communities of the Western Cape. These activities are underpinned by evaluative and innovative academic research undertaken by the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre (DTHC). The Centre, based at the University of Cape Town’s Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, operates symbiotically with the Foundation’s local field sites in the Nyanga area of Cape Town and Masiphumelele, Noordhoek.

The work of the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation and the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre is integrated at the operational level, but they remain separate entities with separate governance structures and funding streams. DTHC projects are not governed by or accountable to, the DTHF’s board of directors.

Pairing community-driven development and internationally acclaimed research, the DTHF envisions a brighter future where HIV is manageable and its presence in South Africa’s communities diminished.