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Some 18 Kenyan organisations are among groups picked to benefit from a Sh8.5 billion ($85 million) HIV support programme.
This is after the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Janssen Pharmaceutica, and ViiV Healthcare announced the investment to support 56 organisations from 10 sub-Saharan African countries.
Out of the 56 Dreams Innovation Challenge winners in 10 sub-Saharan African countries, 18 are from Kenya.
In a statement Thursday, the US Embassy in Nairobi said nearly half of the winners are first-time PEPFAR partners. And about two-thirds are small, local community-based organisations.
Fulfil dreams
Kenya, South Africa and Uganda, which are the top three implementing countries, account for 64 per cent of the winners.
Other countries to benefit from the ambitious partnership to reduce HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women are Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
At least Sh4 billion ($40 million) of the total investment in the programme will be channelled to support keeping girls in secondary school, and consequently reduce their vulnerability to HIV infection.
“With today’s investment, thousands more adolescent girls and young women will have the opportunity to fulfil their dreams,” said Ambassador Deborah L. Birx, US Global AIDS coordinator and US special representative for Global Health Diplomacy.
She added: “Adolescent girls and young women deserve nothing less, and we are committed to walk with them at every step along the road to an Aids-free generation.”
The organisations will also create data-based solutions aimed at increasing the impact of HIV/Aids interventions.
The Dreams Innovation Challenge is also set to accelerate progress toward the target of achieving a 40 per cent reduction in HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women in the highest-burden areas in the selected countries by the end of 2017.
Another Sh38.5 billion ($385 million) Dreams public-private partnership – led by PEPFAR and with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Girl Effect, Janssen Pharmaceutica/Johnson & Johnson, Gilead Sciences and ViiV Healthcare – is also supporting adolescent girls and young women to fight the scourge.
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