WASHINGTON, D.C. - As international and national organizations are beginning to recognize the need for programs to fight the global HIV/AIDS pandemic, the Peace Corps continues to build on nearly a decade of experience in HIV/AIDS education and prevention through increased funding levels.

This week, Director Gaddi H. Vasquez received confirmation that the Peace Corps will be given over $1.1 million from President Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief to enhance programs in six African countries heavily impacted by the virus. The funds will be used to support volunteer projects in the field. In 2003, 1,494 volunteers were directly involved in HIV/AIDS education and prevention. In addition, all Peace Corps posts in Africa and nearly half the posts in Inter-America, the Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia carry out HIV/AIDS activities, most often as secondary projects.

“Peace Corps volunteers, through their integration into communities, are at the forefront of the global battle against HIV/AIDS. I am pleased that the President, and other organizations, recognize the monumental role volunteers have in promoting HIV/AIDS education and prevention in their communities,” said Director Vasquez.

Warren Dalal, a volunteer in Kenya, is one such volunteer who has impacted his community through grassroots projects. Dalal has worked with the local Live With Hope Center to organize support groups in association with the local voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) center. Douglas N. Shaffer, M.D. and Emergency Plan Program Director for Kenya says that Dalal has made a real impact because people in his small community consider him family, and that trust helps Dalal mobilize people to get tested and to enter counseling sessions.

“As a teacher in Kenya you have the vantage point in knowing all of the people in the community,” said Dalal. “However, my real success has to be attributed to the youth and the school-based health clubs we have started. The youth are able to reach the community through many creative modalities.“

Across Africa and the world, volunteers continue to impact their communities in 43 health and HIV/AIDS project areas that are as diverse and varied as the volunteers. The $1.1 million will fund projects in six of the hardest hit African countries:

• In Uganda, volunteers will conduct intensive HIV/ AIDS training with primary teachers. In addition, they will help integrate HIV/AIDS curriculum into schools and communities through the $194,000 in funds.
  
• In Namibia, the funds will be used to assign four short term Crisis Corps volunteers in the Regional AIDS Committee in Education (RACE) offices to provide HIV/AIDS education and teacher training to schools and communities. The $92,000 in funds will also pay for an HIV/AIDS technical advisor.
  
• In Zambia, Peace Corps volunteers and Crisis Corps volunteers will work with Neighborhood Health Committees (NHC) and Ministry of Health staff to mobilize communities and to train community members with the $487,500 budget.
  
• In Tanzania, the $124,000 in funds will be used to expand existing HIV/AIDS projects. In particular, focus will be on prevention activities for youth and teachers.
  
• In Mozambique, volunteers will develop training materials and provide extensive training to non-governmental organizations and communities. The $189,000 in funds will also be used to develop, publish, and disseminate an IEC (Information, Education, and Communication) manual for secondary and technical school teachers.
  
• In Kenya, the $44,000 in funds will be used for small community initiative grants. Volunteers will help communities to identify effective and sustainable solutions, including income-producing activities, testing centers, and other HIV/AIDS projects.

Also this week, a group of volunteers attended the International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, which included a meeting with Ambassador Randall Tobias, the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. The volunteers explained to Ambassador Tobias the unique role that the Peace Corps continues to have in fighting the global pandemic.

World leaders have called HIV/AIDS the greatest development challenge of our time. The World Health Organization estimates over 40 million people are currently living with HIV/AIDS. Last year, over 3 million people died as a result of the virus. The Peace Corps created an official HIV/AIDS initiative in 1997, even though volunteers have been working in areas hardest hit by the pandemic since the 1980s.

Since 1961, more than 171,000 volunteers have served in the Peace Corps, working in such diverse fields as education, health, HIV/AIDS education and prevention, information technology, business development, the environment, and agriculture. Peace Corps volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a two-year commitment.

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