Accra — The African Women's Development Fund (AWDF) as part of its fifth anniversary will launch a HIV/AIDS Fund for African women at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre for Excellence in Information Technology at Ridge in Accra on Friday, November 25th.

The event will feature a movie on women and HIV/AIDS titled 'Yesterday', which an Oscar nominated film premiering in Ghana.

A release signed by the communications officer of AWDF, Miss Vera Doku, said the HIV/AIDS funds will be used in aiding women's organisations facilitating issues pertaining to HIV/AIDS. "The HIV/AIDS funds will be used to award grants to women's organizations across Africa, working on these issues".

ADWF hopes to help promote a culture of awareness, compassion and responsibility around HIV/AIDS issues, particularly where they affect women and girls in Africa.

It again, hopes to establish the link between gender inequality, the low status of women and girls and its implications for the extreme vulnerability of women.

ADWF, a fundraising, grant-making initiative for women, will on the next day launch the annual 'Women of Substance Awards' at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel to award women who have contributed to the development of their communities and Africa as a whole.

"The AWDF will use these awards to recognize significant achievements of African women, raise their profiles and bring them into the limelight to encourage emerging leadership".

The release mentioned some of the recipients of the award as Dr. Athaliah Molokome, Attorney General of Botswana, Mme Josephine Ouedraogo, AG Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro of the world-unite YWCA.

The rest are, Miss Ama Ata Aidoo, an accomplished writer from Ghana, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, a performance artiste, Kavita Ramdas, president/ CEO of the Global Fund for Women (USA) and Barbara Philips.

ADWF has awarded US$2.1M in grants to over 230 women's organisations in 33 African countries since its inception is the first region -wide fund in Africa giving grant to women's organization at the local, national and regional level.