Recorded on 26 March 2026 for ICMDA Webinars.

Dr Peter Saunders chairs a webinar with Echo VanderWal

Faith in Action: Building a Community-Based HIV Care System in Africa

In Eswatini, one of the countries most affected by HIV, The Luke Commission has developed a community-based model that integrates HIV services within comprehensive primary care.

Rooted in Christian mission and local leadership, this approach combines mobile outreach, patient-centered care, resilient supply chains, and digitally enabled systems such as Luvelo to deliver consistent, high-quality care to underserved communities.

Rather than vertical programming, the model strengthens the entire health system while ensuring people living with HIV receive lifelong support. This presentation explores how faith-driven innovation can advance efficiency, accountability, and sustainability while ensuring that the most vulnerable are not left behind.

Echo VanderWal is Executive Director and co-founder of The Luke Commission (TLC), a faith-based nonprofit advancing equitable healthcare in Eswatini and other resource-limited settings. A visionary global health leader, she helped pioneer TLC’s holistic care model in response to the country’s high HIV prevalence. Under her leadership, TLC has grown into a major healthcare system serving hundreds of thousands annually. Echo graduated with highest honors from Cedarville University and lives in Eswatini with her husband Harry and their seven children.

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