FHI Awarded New Cooperative Agreement

NOVEMBER 2004 — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded Family Health International (FHI) a five-year cooperative agreement to support local organizations in the expansion of HIV/AIDS prevention and care services for highly vulnerable populations in Côte d'Ivoire. Nearly US$6 million was awarded as part of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

During the next five years FHI and its partners will help the CDC achieve Emergency Plan goals of treating 77,000 HIV-positive persons, preventing 265,000 new infections and providing care and support services for up to 385,000 persons, with a particular emphasis on highly vulnerable populations.

As part of the project, FHI will lead a team of partners, including the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) of Antwerp and Institut Africain pour le Développement Social-Centre Africain de Formation, Côte d'Ivoire (IFCI). The project team will support local organizations to expand clinical services for highly vulnerable populations, strengthen managerial and technical systems, and reinforce provider networks. The program also will work with local organizations, including faith-based organizations, to help prevent new infections.

Côte d'Ivoire is one of the 15 priority countries identified by the Emergency Plan. The U.S. government has committed to treating 2 million HIV-positive persons, preventing 7 million new infections, and providing care and support for 10 million people living with HIV/AIDS, including orphans. The US$15 billion five-year plan encompasses HIV/AIDS activities in more than 75 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean to develop comprehensive and integrated prevention, care and treatment programs.