DUSHANBE, April 14, Asia-Plus — AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW) has announced the beginning of a grant program.
Dilshod Poulodov, the AFEW project manager in Tajikistan, said that the program is being implemented within the framework of the AMAL Project, which is aimed at enhancement of health sector and psychosocial support in Sughd’s cities of Khujand, Panjakent, Chkalovsk, Qairoqqum, Isfara and Istaravshan and is funded by the European Union.
According to him, the main objective of the program is to support initiatives on providing assistance to groups most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS for the purpose of increasing quantity and improving quality of the HIV prevention services, reducing stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV, etc.
AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW) is a Dutch organization. It was founded on 4 January 2001 with support from Médecins Sans Frontières – Holland (MSF-H), the Open Society Institute – New York (OSI), and the Dutch government. AFEW continues a wide range of HIV/AIDS prevention activities developed and implemented by MSF-H in the Russian Federation (RF), Ukraine and Mongolia between 1996 and 2001. During this period, it became increasingly clear that a larger response was needed. Given that no other organization was capable of continuing existing MSF-H programs and developing new ones as needed, the creation of AFEW was a logical step. Nearly all of the former MSF-H staff – approximately 60 personnel – transferred to the new organization, thus retaining the knowledge and skills.
AFEW’s mission is to make a major contribution to the reduction of the impact of HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA)
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by: taking an innovative and pro-active approach to developing, implementing and promoting tools for effective HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support, designed for and appropriate to the specific conditions of EECA; targeting the younger generation of the region, in particular those engaging in risky behavior; cooperating closely with national governmental and non-governmental structures to boost local coping capacities and to advocate for appropriate action; and strengthening East-West engagement by exchanging knowledge and people via program activities and stimulating a committed response.
