Unicef gives N$160 million for AIDS battle

UNICEF last week committed itself to giving more than N$160 million to Namibia over the next five years for the fight against HIV-AIDS.

National Planning Commission (NPC) Director General Helmut Angula and Unicef representative Khin Sandi Lwin put pen to paper in the city on the US$25 million deal (N$162,5 million at last week’s rate). Of this amount, N$37,2 million will go to Namibia’s Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programme and the expanded programme of immunisation and malaria control.A further N$49,5 million will be pumped into keeping young people HIV free through knowledge and life skills as well as helping mitigate the impact of the disease on the education system.The component will support the Ministries of Education and Information and Broadcasting, as well as non-governmental organisations involved in the Take Control Campaign, My Future is My Choice and Window of Hope.Campaigns for the prevention of violence against women and children and those addressing the increasing numbers of children affected and orphaned by HIV and AIDS will receive N$44,4 million from Unicef over the next five years.The last amount of around N$18 million was put aside for advocacy, communication, supply procurement, monitoring and evaluations of the nation-wide programmes.Unicef and Namibia announced that the main focus of the programmes will be in the Caprivi, Kavango, Ohangwena, Omusati and Omaheke regions.Of this amount, N$37,2 million will go to Namibia’s Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programme and the expanded programme of immunisation and malaria control.A further N$49,5 million will be pumped into keeping young people HIV free through knowledge and life skills as well as helping mitigate the impact of the disease on the education system.The component will support the Ministries of Education and Information and Broadcasting, as well as non-governmental organisations involved in the Take Control Campaign, My Future is My Choice and Window of Hope.Campaigns for the prevention of violence against women and children and those addressing the increasing numbers of children affected and orphaned by HIV and AIDS will receive N$44,4 million from Unicef over the next five years.The last amount of around N$18 million was put aside for advocacy, communication, supply procurement, monitoring and evaluations of the nation-wide programmes.Unicef and Namibia announced that the main focus of the programmes will be in the Caprivi, Kavango, Ohangwena, Omusati and Omaheke regions.