Voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) used to be another major challenge for Namibia. Testing services were available but clinics were often distant and lab results were slow. Then came a new kind of community led clinic rolled out in remote areas to provide rapid testing for HIV, making for a smoother process as people do not have to return to collect their results. A quarter of the country's 300 health centers now offer rapid testing, such as the "New Start" centers run by faith-based or community organizations.

These new services, made possible with Global Fund support, are key to allowing more Namibians to take action against AIDS, such as 60 year-olds Luth and Doug who want to know their status before getting more serious in their love affair. Learn more.

Maternal AIDS testing and prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) are critical parts of Namibia's succesful fight against AIDS. Without treatment, 15-30% of HIV positive women pass the virus to their babies during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and a further 5-20% through breastfeeding. With testing and PMTCT now being carried out in two thirds of ante-natal clinics, the rate of transmission to newborns has been drastically reduced and Namibia aims to entirely eliminate mother-to-child transmission throughout the country. Learn more.

A big and as yet unaddressed challenge will be to encourage more men to get tested as there are three women for every man coming forward, one reason being that men tend to avoid hospitals while women come into regular contact with doctors during pregnancy.