USAID project will boost HIV/AIDS services in Ethiopia
PATH has been awarded a three-year contract, with an option for two additional years, to strengthen Ethiopian communities’ abilities to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. PATH will receive up to $35 million from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and together with partners will help nongovernmental organizations improve and coordinate their efforts to provide services for people affected by HIV/AIDS. This contract falls under USAID’s AIDS Support and Technical Resources program, known as AIDSTAR. PATH is an AIDSTAR prime contractor.
Increasing services for communities in need
In Ethiopia, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has decreased life expectancy, weakened the country’s health system, and greatly reduced the workforce. More than two percent of adults 15 to 49 years old are estimated to be infected, and in urban areas as many as ten percent of people are living with HIV. PATH, with this assistance from the American people through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, will build on regional and national efforts already underway by Ethiopia’s Federal HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office to bring services to people affected by the disease. The USAID/Ethiopia Strengthening Communities’ Responses to HIV/AIDS project will improve access to HIV/AIDS treatment and services, strengthen the quality of community- and home-based services, and raise awareness and demand for high-quality, comprehensive, and affordable services. PATH aims to reach more than 900,000 individuals in 300 towns.
“This project will allow PATH and our partners to have a tremendous impact on the lives of people affected by HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia and bring them the services they need,” said Dr. Julie Pulerwitz, director of the HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis global program at PATH. PATH’s partners for the project include Dawn of Hope Ethiopia Association, Hope for Children Organization, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, International Relief & Development, International Training & Education Center on HIV, Mekdim Ethiopia National Association, Organization for Social Services for AIDS, and Westat.
Posted April 27, 2009.