DUSHANBE, July 17, 2009, Asia-Plus — US Ambassador to Tajikistan, Ms. Tracey Ann Jacobson, and Deputy Minister of Health Azamjon Mirzoyev on July 15 participated the closeout discussion of the results and successes from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) CAPACITY project, according to the US Embassy in Dushanbe.
The main purpose of this project was to support the Government of Tajikistan in its response to the HIV epidemic in the country.
Ministry of Health representatives, the Secretariat of the National Coordination Committee for HIV, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, CAPACITY’s non-governmental organization (NGO) partners, and international organizations representatives discussed how to be more effective in preventing HIV infection, how to improve the quality of medical services f for people living with HIV, and integrate HIV services into general medical network.
For four years, the CAPACITY project contributed to Tajikistan’s national HIV program. The project trained 57 NGOs that work with vulnerable groups in all regions of the country. Due to development of a model for management of dual infection of HIV and tuberculosis and training for more than 180 healthcare workers, more than 500 people so far have been able to receive training for this particularly dangerous combination. CAPACITY also provided technical specialists to assist the National Coordination Committee with on its public communications strategy, monitoring and evaluation, and NGO coordination. The CAPACITY project’s results helped participants to make recommendations for further HIV prevention and treatment activities in the republic of Tajikistan and other Central Asian countries.
The USAID-funded CAPAPACITY project provides technical assistance to local organizations working on HIV/AIDS issues in all five Central Asian countries. The USAID-funded CAPACITY project is implemented by John Snow Research and Training Institute, Inc. (JSI).
HIV/AIDS prevention is a priority for the US Government. The CAPACITY project is one of the many assistance projects implemented in Tajikistan by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on behalf of the American people. Since 1993 the American people through USAID have provided about $300 million in assistance programs that support economic growth, democratic institutions, health care, and education systems of Tajikistan.
