United States Gives $12 Million to Pediatric AIDS Foundation ...( HARARE Zimbabwe Jan. 24 -- The A...),Health

HARARE, Zimbabwe, Jan. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American people, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched a new $12.5 million HIV/AIDS initiative in Zimbabwe. The initiative, expected to dramatically increase access for women and children to vital HIV prevention services, will be implemented by the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

The U.S. contribution to the Zimbabwe Family AIDS Initiatives, a part of the overall U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, will expand Zimbabwe's national mother-to-child transmission prevention program. It will also provide greater access to prevention and treatment services for pregnant women and infants, and undertake important operational research to identify innovative solutions to challenges that the national program still faces today. The initiative will directly support the National AIDS & TB Unit sites throughout the country, with the goal of helping 460,000 pregnant women access important anti-retroviral medications. The new initiative is also supported by other donors such as the United Kingdom's Department for International Development, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Johnson & Johnson.

During the recent launch ceremony, U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGee highlighted the successful collaborative efforts supported by the US Government. "The United States will continue to join and assist Zimbabweans in the battle against HIV/AIDS," said Ambassador McGee. "It will take commitment and strong leadership to overcome the challenges that we are all facing and, together, in strong partnership, we will make a difference."

Elizabeth Glaser and its three implementing partners - JF Kapnek Trust, the Organization for Public Health Interventions and Development (OPHID), and the Zimbabwe AIDS Prevention Project - have been providing direct support to more than 330
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