Aid for AIDS

Dec 1, 2006 (LBO) – The United States said Friday that it would give Sri Lanka 650,000 dollars to help curb the AIDS virus in high risk areas of the island, officials from the US Agency for International Development, said. Department of Health Services, 2006 report says the number of reported cumulative AIDS deaths in Sri Lanka is 153.

The 18 month project will support projects of two Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO™s), to improve education and services for affected and vulnerable people.

The NGOs will collaborate with six local centres throughout the island:

¢ Centre for plantation rural community development, Nuwara Eliya
¢ Voice of Youth, Anuradhapura
¢ Rajarata Game Pahana, Anuradhapura
¢ Women™s Development Centre, Kandy
¢ Community Resource Development Centre, Down south
¢ Sri Lanka Red Cross Society™s branch office, Mannar

The centres will target the local population in the areas, providing education on healthy practices, prevention and about infection by the Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV).

The centres will also focus on voluntary testing facilities, partner management as well as finding alternative methods of livelihood fo