Team of Partners Awarded US$34 Million by the U.S. Agency for International Development to Reduce the HIV/AIDS Pandemic in Guyana - July 9, 2004

Georgetown, Guyana — The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission in Guyana announced that Family Health International (FHI) will lead a team of partners to support the Government of Guyana's expansion of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment programs. Nearly US$34 million was awarded as part of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Over the next five years the team will help USAID/Guyana achieve the PEPFAR goals of treating 2000 HIV-positive persons, preventing 15,000 new infections, and providing care and support services for up to 9,000 persons, with a particular emphasis on orphans and vulnerable children.

"With these additional resources the U.S. Government emphasizes the importance it places on the fight against HIV/AIDS and will allow the Government of Guyana to turn the tide against this devastating epidemic," said Dr. Mike Sarhan, Mission Director of USAID/Guyana. "We are confident that the team selected has the expertise and experience—globally and in Guyana—to achieve the plan's ambitious goals." 

As part of the USAID/Guyana HIV/AIDS Reduction and Prevention Project, FHI will lead a team of partners, including Cicatelli Associates Incorporated (CAI), Howard Delafield International (HDI) and Management Sciences for Health (MSH). The project team will support the Government of Guyana's ongoing HIV/AIDS care and treatment program by helping to establish the necessary health infrastructure, systems and provider skills so that antiretroviral drugs (including prevention of mother-to-child transmission programs) and other opportunistic infection treatment regimens can be safely and effectively delivered. The program will also work with local organizations, including faith-based organizations, to help prevent new infections. The Caribbean Council of Churches (CCC), an advisor to the project, will provide training and help build the capacity to achieve these goals.

Dr. Peter Lamptey, President of FHI's Institute for HIV/AIDS remarked, "FHI, supported by USAID, has worked closely with the Government of Guyana since 2000 to implement HIV/AIDS prevention and care programs. We are delighted to receive additional support from the U.S. Government to work with a stellar team of partners and rapidly expand these efforts."

While Guyana is the third-smallest country in South America, it faces an HIV/AIDS epidemic second only to Haiti's among countries in the region. An estimated 18,000 of Guyana's 763,000 people are HIV-positive.
 
Guyana is one of the 15 priority countries identified by the unprecedented President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. President Bush and the U.S. Congress have 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 and the Caribbean to develop comprehensive and integrated prevention, care and, in an unprecedented way, treatment programs.

Family Health International is dedicated to improving lives, knowledge and understanding worldwide through a highly diversified program of research, education and services in family health and HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment. Since its inception in 1971, FHI has formed partnerships with national governments and local communities throughout the developing world to support lasting improvements in the health of individuals and the effectiveness of entire health systems. FHI has a staff of 1200 and offices in 40 countries.

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Contact:

Lisa Hunter
External Relations Officer
+1-703-516-9779 x 217
lhunter@fhi.org

Andrea Rohlehr-McAdam    
USAID/FHI Guyana HIV/AIDS Program
592-231-6311 x29   
ARMcAdam@fhiguyana.org