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2009 News

Close Window CCE President Isabel Villegas (left) hands over a symbolic check to Doris Acosta de Alvarado (center), President of the Salvadoran Network of Positive Persons, and Vice Minister of Health Eduardo Espinoza (right).
CCE President Isabel Villegas (left) hands over a symbolic check to Doris Acosta de Alvarado (center), President of the Salvadoran Network of Positive Persons, and Vice Minister of Health Eduardo Espinoza (right).
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CCE President Isabel Villegas (left) hands over a symbolic check to Doris Acosta de Alvarado (center), President of the Salvadoran Network of Positive Persons, and Vice Minister of Health Eduardo Espinoza (right).
CCE President Isabel Villegas (left) hands over a symbolic check to Doris Acosta de Alvarado (center), President of the Salvadoran Network of Positive Persons, and Vice Minister of Health Eduardo Espinoza (right).

Over $24 Million Provided to Combat HIV/AIDS in El Salvador

On October 15, the Ministry of Health and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) received over $24 million from the Global Fund to implement HIV/AIDS prevention and care projects.

The U.S. Government is the largest single contributor to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.  The U.S. Government has contributed approximately $3.5 billion to the Global Fund since 2001.  In addition to providing direct financial support to the Global Fund, the U.S. Government supports Global Fund grant implementation and oversight through bilateral programming and centrally-funded technical assistance.

Activities to be executed with these new funds include behavior change to face discrimination; coverage expansion for remote populations; decentralization and quality improvement of health services; and community participation promotion and incorporation to municipal councils to help fight the epidemic, among others.

In El Salvador, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) plays a key role as a member of the Global Fund Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCE, in Spanish). USAID, through the Central America Regional HIV/AIDS program, provides support for capacity building for the CCE and technical assistance for the development of grant proposals.

Thus, it is expected to prevent infection risk among vulnerable groups, such as youth, pregnant women, women of fertile age living in the rural area, men who have sex with men, commercial sex workers, imprisoned and migrant population living in 65 out of the 262 municipalities in the country.  New funds will be also useful to help people living with HIV/AIDS through an improved access to anti-retrovirals and antibiotics of latest generation.

During the October 15 ceremony, CCE President Isabel Villegas handed over the grants to UNPD Representative Jessica Faieta and Vice Minister of Health Eduardo Espinoza.  Witnesses included USAID Director Larry Brady and Doris Acosta de Alvarado, President of the Salvadoran Network of Positive Persons.