DFID allocates 2.95 million pounds for HIV/AIDS work

Britain's Department for International Development (DFID) has allocated ActionAid, a British development charity, 2.95 million pounds sterling (US $4.29 million) for HIV/AIDS work in Rwanda, DFID reported on Tuesday. The money will be disbursed over three years and will allow ActionAid to help Rwanda's National AIDS Commission (Commission Nationale de Lutte Contre le Sida) implement a five-point strategy to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The first of these five points - to set up an office and recruit staff - began in early October and was to end 31 December, ActionAid reported. Other parts of the programme are for Rwanda to build capacity in its AIDS commission, the NGO Forum on HIV/AIDS and other bodies so that they can manage and coordinate their activities. The programme also seeks to help civil society bodies to build their capacity to engage government and donors in HIV/AIDS work. Another strategy is to encourage behavioural and attitudinal change in face of the prevalence of the disease. Community, family and local traditional capacities are to be strengthened in order to increase on-site support such as counselling centres, and treatment regimes for people living with AIDS. Last is a strategy to strengthen the social coping mechanisms of poor rural and urban communities to face the impact of AIDS.