Chinyere Amalu
3 December 2008
Abuja — The United States Government has committed the sum of $68 million in the last four years to assist orphans and vulnerable children and their caregivers in Nigeria, U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria Robin Renee Sanders has disclosed.
The Ambassador who disclosed this yesterday in Abuja during her outing with Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) at St. John the Baptists Mapepe FCT, also disclosed that about 500 OVC have received education, healthcare, psychological and economic support through its PEPFAR programme in Nigeria.
According to her, the services have reached over 94,000 orphans and vulnerable children in Nigeria, while about 9,000 caregivers have been empowered to provide care and support in the 36 states of the federation and FCT.
"I want you to know that the U.S government and the American people stand with you in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Through the PEPFAR programme, the US government provides funding to Catholic Relief Services (CRS) who work in collaboration with St. John the Baptist Catholic Church Parish Action Committee on AIDS (PACA).
"Through this programme about 500 orphans and vulnerable children have received education, healthcare, psychological and economic support here in Mpape. Currently, services are provided for 235 children, 127 girls and 108 boys.
"The American people have committed an estimated $68 million in the past four years to assist OVC", he added.
She however, commended the administrators for effective utitillation of fund whenever, you get it. In his response the Parish Priest of St. John the Baptist, Re. Fr. Aloysius Isau commended the U.S for their support in taking care of vulnerable children in Mapepe through the CRS, adding that before now the rate of stigmatisation against those infected was high.
He pointed out that through the intervention of US government, the community has gotten better understanding on how to interact with infected persons, adding that care and support of OVC are also receiving support and attention.
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