OUR HISTORY
Founded in 2008, MARPI grew from a clear need: make quality HIV services more accessible to communities facing disproportionate risk and persistent barriers to care.
WHY MARPI BEGAN
The 2025 Annual Report traces MARPI’s founding to 2008. It describes an HIV response in which Key Populations carried a disproportionate burden, while tailored interventions were scarce or lacked the scale, intensity and quality needed.
MARPI was established to help close that gap and complement government efforts. Its purpose connected prevention and testing with treatment, adherence support, retention and other essential HIV-related services, while recognising that social and structural barriers also had to be addressed.
That founding commitment remains central to MARPI’s identity: affected communities should be involved in shaping the services intended for them.
OUR JOURNEY
Key moments in MARPI’s development and programmes, drawing on the 2025 Annual Report.
Most At Risk Populations Initiative was founded in response to unmet HIV-service needs among Key Populations. The organisation sought to strengthen targeted, tailored access to prevention, testing and continuing care, working in support of national HIV priorities.
The report identifies MARPI as an indigenous, registered Ugandan NGO with its main office at Ward 12, the STD/Skin Clinic at Mulago National Referral Hospital.
Collaboration with government, district teams, health facilities and development partners enabled MARPI to extend services across more than 35 districts over its years of operation. The organisation strengthened links between targeted community work and the broader health system.
This cumulative footprint records the organisation’s development; it does not describe the number of service points currently open.
MARPI’s service approach brings together its clinic, health-facility partnerships, Drop-in Centres, peer-led outreach and community structures. These connections support mobilisation, HIV prevention, screening, referral and follow-up for people who may struggle to access conventional facilities.
Its role also expanded beyond direct care to strengthening health workers, peer educators and community organisations, and using evidence to improve programmes.
The EJAF-funded consortium ran for 24 months, from January 2024 to December 2025. MARPI led the partnership with Trans Network Uganda, Queer Women Leaders Uganda, Anchoring Communities in Uganda, Foundation for Community Development and Empowerment, and Pathway Uganda.
The programme targeted Mbale, Jinja, Buikwe, Kayunga, Luwero, Entebbe, Wakiso, Masaka and Kasese. It combined HIV-service access with stronger providers and community organisations, action on structural barriers, and improved learning and accountability.
The annual report documents Global Fund GC7 activities through TASO, the Kampala HIV Project through Reach Out Mbuya and the Local Service Delivery for HIV and AIDS Activity through UPMB, alongside the Uganda Health Consortium.
Activities included integrated community outreach, supportive supervision, small grants to community organisations, community dialogues and Community-Led Monitoring. These projects connected service delivery with community empowerment, capacity building, advocacy, research and innovation.
MARPI reported 165,550 HIV tests, 10,097 clients initiated on PrEP, 8,896 HIV self-test kits distributed and 7,153,438 condoms distributed during the reporting year. PrEP delivery included oral daily, event-driven, injectable cabotegravir and dapivirine-ring options.
These figures describe 2025 implementation. They are not current stock information or a guarantee that every option is available at every facility.
WHAT HAS STAYED CONSTANT
Across its development, MARPI has worked to make services more responsive to the people using them. Communities and peers contribute to programme design, delivery, monitoring and improvement; government and facility partnerships connect those efforts to the national health response.
The 2025 report recognises the contribution of Board members, staff, peer educators, volunteers, partners and clients. It also records funding disruption and persistent social barriers, underscoring the importance of resilient systems and sustained relationships.
Understand how MARPI works today →THE NEXT CHAPTER
The direction set out in the annual report prioritises programme sustainability, diversified funding, stronger community and facility systems, wider prevention choice and better use of data and digital innovation. MARPI seeks to turn these priorities into more reliable access and stronger local ownership.
MARPI’s next phase depends on continuing collaboration with government, facilities and communities, while strengthening accountability, quality and the ability to sustain essential services through changing funding arrangements.
Evidence, community feedback and practical innovation remain part of the organisation’s approach to designing services, improving decision-making and keeping people connected to the care they need.
The annual report documents MARPI’s institutional background, programmes, achievements and priorities.
Source: MARPI Annual Report 2025, printed pages 2–6, 11–18 and 41. Historical summary updated September 2026.
