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Global
Fund official refutes Minister's claims on funding
Bertha
Shoko, The Standard (Zimbabwe)
July 30, 2006
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/viewinfo.cfm?linkid=11&id=4369&siteid=1
THE
Global Fund to fight malaria, tuberculosis and HIV and Aids has
dismissed as false a recent report by Health and Child Welfare Minister,
David Parirenyatwa, that the funding body had approved its sixth
round proposal.
Last
week Parirenyatwa told a local weekly newspaper that the Global
Fund had approved a US$60 million grant in the sixth round of proposals
that is meant to go towards HIV and Aids, malaria and tuberculosis
and that government was expecting the funds to be disbursed soon.
Parirenyatwa
himself spoke to Standardhealth on Wednesday and said the country’s
co-ordinating mechanism (CCM), which is made up of non-governmental
organisations, academic institutions, was in the process of finalising
its proposal.
In
a written response to Standardhealth, head of communications at
the Global Fund, Jon Liden, said the reports were false.
Liden
said: "The issue of Round 6 is a misreporting. The deadline for
proposals for Round 6 is 3 August. Eligible proposals will then
be assessed for quality by the Technical Review Panel in September.
"Proposals
recommended for funding will be approved by the Board in early November…
Only in November will we announce if Zimbabwe’s grant proposal is
successful."
Contacted
for comment, Parirenyatwa said he was misquoted, insisting that
he had told the paper that it was round five not round six that
had been approved.
l
Meanwhile, the Swedish government has pledged support for Zimbabwe
and mobilisation of resources for HIV and Aids programmes in the
country.
Swedish
Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Sten Rylander, made the announcement last
week while addressing a group of women from Chitungwiza Utano Project
who had just completed training on HIV and Aids treatment that was
conducted by the Southern
Africa HIV and Aids Information Dissemination Service (SAfAIDS).
Rylander
said: "You have difficulties in this country, hope they will be
overcome one day. I am an optimist and I am therefore certain these
problems will pass one day.
"The
Swedish government through our embassy here in Zimbabwe are behind
the people of Zimbabwe all the way and will continue to give you
all the support we can to fight HIV and Aids. We are going to rally
behind you all the way."
Rylander
later presented 16 women from Utano Project with certificates for
successfully undergoing training on the SAfAIDS Women’s Treatment
Literacy Toolkit.
The
literacy toolkits are meant to raise awareness and educate women
with low literacy levels on HIV and Aids.
SAFAIDS
said in a statement: "The purpose of the toolkit rollout programme
is to empower women with relevant information to enable them to
full participation in ARV treatment programmes."
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