DUSHANBE, February 26, Asia-Plus — The Central Asia AIDS Control Project is providing funds to winners of its first grant round.
Press release issued by the Project said that a decision on that subject had been made at a meeting Tilek Mejmanaliyev, Executive Director of the Central Asian AIDS Control Project, with a group of experts from the World Bank that had arrived in Almaty.
According to press release, Mejmanaliyev noted that approval of the Project’s first grant round enabled them to launch implementation of five large regional initiatives and 42 national projects for HIV counteraction.
The endorsed grants will be used for preventing drug using and spread of HIV among youth aged 15 to 24 in four central Asia’s states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan). Besides, the grants will enable to hold events aimed at strengthening of partnership on the HIV counteraction and enlist service of people living with HIV for prevention, treatment and support, as well as formation of positive behavior.
It is expected that 42 state-run and non-government organizations from the mentioned countries will also receive financing (small grants of up to $20,000).
The first grant round of the Regional AIDS Fund was held from May 1, 2006 to December 12, 2006 and a total of $4.549 million had been provided.
On December 11-12, 2006, a meeting of Regional Steering Committee members took place in Samarqand, Uzbekistan. The meeting summed up the results the results of Central Asia AIDS Control Project first grant round and approved the winners of large grants (from $20,000 dollars and above).
Today the questions of HIV counteraction have become the issue of the day and have primary importance throughout the region and the objective of the Central Asia Aids Control Project (CAAP) is to minimize the human and economic impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The project has three main goals: reduce the growth rate of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Central Asia in the period 2005-10; establish a Regional AIDS Fund to finance HIV/AIDS prevention and control activities in the Region beyond the end of the project; and contribute to better regional cooperation in Central Asia.
