Thank you all for being at this very important event. Today, we will highlight three organizations that have secured funding from the PEPFAR Small Grants Program. These organizations, based in your communities, are working to support the Ministry of Health and Social Services by bringing additional HIV services to you through community mobilization.
For the sustainability of HIV/AIDS efforts in Namibia, it is important to support and develop community-based organizations, such as those here today.
The U.S Government has partnered with the Namibian government in the fight against HIV for fourteen years, and we thank all our stakeholders for joining hands with us to help Namibia as it strives to reach epidemic control.
The PEPFAR Small Grants Program specifically supports grassroots, community-run projects that mitigate the spread and impact of HIV/AIDS in their communities. The funds often are used to disseminate important HIV information to communities to ensure a broader understanding of the effect of HIV and the spectrum of populations that it can affect.
Today’s PEPFAR Small Grants recipients are (1) Caprivi Hope for Life from the Zambezi region; (2) Kavango Orphanage; and, the (3) Kavango Youth-to-Youth organizations from the Kavango East and West regions. The three organizations were selected based on their focus areas, their track records, and their commitment to bring change in their respective communities.
It is very important that you, the community members and direct beneficiaries of the activities supported by the PEPFAR Small Grants program, make use of the services made available to you. Otherwise, our efforts, alongside those of the Ministry of Health and Social Services, will not yield the desired results.
PEPFAR is a smart investment, and it is widely viewed as one of the most effective and efficient foreign assistance programs in history. We use the latest data and science to direct resources to where the HIV/AIDS epidemic is the largest, the need is the highest, and the dollars are most efficiently used.
To the three grant recipients, congratulations on securing funding from the PEPFAR Small Grants program. May your program activities be successful and contribute to accelerating Namibia’s progress towards achieving HIV epidemic control and reaching the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets.
Thank you!
