Today, we are excited to be writing a blog about zero.

Not nothing. Zero.

Why zero?

Because today we are announcing that, in 2023, we achieved a 0% rate of mother-to-child transmission of HIV for our enrolled clients for the first time.

This is one of the most eye-catching findings of our 2023 annual programme review, our robust analysis of our work and outcomes.

Last year, our women-focused, peer-led model continued to achieve remarkable health outcomes at scale—proving once again our ability to ensure people start treatment, access the health services they need, and stay in care for the long term. As an organisation that was created to end mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV, our 2023 results also demonstrate that it is possible to stop the transmission of HIV and end AIDS and be part of the generation that ended one of the world’s most devastating pandemics, providing a roadmap for achieving this global goal.

Below are highlights that demonstrate the power and potential of our model.

Advancing the Global Goal to End AIDS by 2030

For the 10^th year in a row, we achieved virtual elimination of the transmission of HIV from mother to baby for our enrolled clients. We achieved what was long thought to be impossible: our 2023 MTCT rate was 0% for enrolled m2m clients.

We also delivered remarkable results in preventing new HIV infections among pregnant and breastfeeding women. Only 0.23% of these m2m clients who were HIV-negative when enrolled in our programme contracted HIV in 2023—15 times lower than a sub-Saharan Africa benchmark of 3.6%².

Furthermore, we again met or surpassed UNAIDS’ ambitious 95-95-95 targets for HIV testing, treatment, and viral suppression, a significant achievement on the journey to end HIV.

Demonstrating the Power of m2m’s Paid, Professional Community Health Workers to Deliver Integrated Primary Health Care 

Delivering integrated services has enabled us to meet the needs of the families and communities we serve, keep clients in care for the long-term, and drive our strategic goal to reduce preventable deaths by a third for our clients. Our service range includes HIV, tuberculosis (TB), malaria, non-communicable diseases, and maternal and child health.

In 2023:

• 93% of our clients used modern family planning methods, compared to a benchmark of 56% in sub-Saharan Africa³. This helps to improve maternal and child health outcomes, advance gender equity, and reduce poverty.
• 98% of our clients had received age-appropriate childhood immunisations to safeguard their health by their first birthday, up from 96% in 2022.
• 100% of clients we referred for TB testing in 2023 received a test, and all those who tested positive for TB were successfully linked to treatment. The percentage of m2m clients who tested positive for TB dropped to 6% in 2023, from 7% in 2022—suggesting our primary prevention services and early identification strategies are having an effect. TB kills millions each year, and is the leading cause of death for people living with HIV.

Delivering Impact at Scale

In 2023:

• m2m reached over 774,307 new and returning clients across 10 countries through direct services, eServices, and technical assistance.
• m2m Mentor Mothers conducted over 500,000 engagements with clients in 2023-through one-on-one, group, and eServices interventions.
• Services were provided by 910 frontline staff, working from 342 community and health facility-based locations.

What Underpinned These Achievements? 

Our ability to keep clients in care. Ending HIV, keeping families healthy, preventing and managing non-communicable diseases… all rely on keeping people engaged and on treatment for the long-term.

And that is exactly what we have done. In 2023:

• 97% of enrolled m2m clients were retained in care and on treatment at 12 months in 2023, well above the sub-Saharan benchmark of 72% (UNAIDS) and retention rates among our clients in 2022 (95%) and 2021 (93%).
• Our data shows that the percentage of m2m clients retained in care remained high at 18 months (95%) and 24 months (92%), indicating a strong commitment to long-term care and treatment.

Strategic use of digital tools. To amplify our impact, we use a range of digital tools—including apps and a chatbot—for service delivery and case management. m2m clients had 359,040 interactions with our eService platforms in 2023, including our Virtual Mentor Mother Platform WhatsApp chatbot and teleconsultations with a clinician or community health worker.

Sustained investment and focus on quality. We have been investing in quality programming for over 20 years, and use a composite quality index to measure and manage the quality of our service delivery. In 2023, all of our country programmes exceeded the 90% target, with 8 out of 10 achieving a score of 100%.

To stay up to date on how m2m is bringing our new strategic plan to life and advancing our mission of providing health care to families who need it most, delivered by women who know them best, follow the latest news on our website and our social channels.