ActionAid The Gambia has now become a principal recipient (PR) of the Global Fund Round 8 HIV/AIDS grant, a press release from the ActionAid office The Gambia stated. Below we reproduce the full text of the release.

ActionAid The Gambia has become a principal recipient (PR) of the Global Fund round 8 HIV/AIDS Grant. The signing of the grant agreement took place between the executive directors of the Global Fund, Professor Michele Katzchkine, the country director of ActionAid, Dr. Kujejatou Manne; Mr. Bernard Mendy, executive board member of the Country Co-ordinating Mechanism (CCM) and Mr. Jeggan Loum, president of the NationalAids Services Organisations.

Under the grant, AcionAid will be working with 7 non-governmental organsations who will serve as sub-recipients (SRs) of the grant for the next two years with possibilities of a three-year extension based on performance. The sub-recipients are the Catholic Relief Services, Gambia Family Planning Association, Child Fund Santa Yalla Support Society, Hands On Care, Association for the Development of Women and Children (ADWAC) and Gambia Red Cross Society. The total amount for the grant for the two years is almost four million Euros, part of which will be disbursed to the SRs.

The overall aim of the global fund round 8 HIV/AIDS project is to halt and reverse the prevalence of HIV infection from 2.8% to 2% by 2013, by providing comprehensive prevention, treatment, care and support in the Gambia. For ActionAid, the specific objectives are to increase knowledge and skills for behaviour change, and control the spread of HIV infection among the 15-49 age group from 60 to 39 percent by 2013. The programme also aims to provide care and support to orphans and vulnerable children.

Speaking at a consultative meeting held between ActionAid The Gambia and the sub-recipients at the Baobab Resort on Friday 11th December, Action-Aid country director, Dr. Kujejatou Manneh emphasised the importance of working together to make the project a success. We owe it to the people of this country to deliver on our objective to halt and reverse the spread of HIV/AID. If anyone of us fails in our duties and responsibilities to deliver, we will all fail together, and that is something we cannot afford as a country, she said.

The co-principal recipient for this project is the National Aids Secretariat (NAS), which will be providing facility based care and support, treatment, voluntary counselling and testing and strengthening of health system. Action Aid the Gambia has successfully implemented the first phase of the Global Fund roud 6 grant for malaria in collaboration with the Gambia government and the Catholic Relief Services as a sub-recipient. This first phase of the project has been given a rating by the Global Fund.