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CARE issues field report on global HIV and AIDS program, PEPFAR
By Alina Labrada | (2008 Melanie Minzes/ CARE) |
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WASHINGTON, DC (March 5, 2008) - CARE issued its new field report today, entitled "The Future of PEPFAR: Comprehensive Approaches, Sustainable Results,"with a briefing for Congressional representatives and their staffs on Capitol Hill, as well as colleagues from the humanitarian community.CARE Ambassador Christy Turlington Burns, who had just returned from a trip visiting CARE programs in Peru, welcomed the audience to the briefing, which was sponsored by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph R Biden Jr.
"As a CARE Ambassador, I count myself fortunate to have visited programs in both El Salvador and Peru. Today, I am excited to learn more about what CARE is doing in the area of HIV and AIDS," remarked Ms. Turlington Burns. CARE President and CEO Dr. Helene D. Gayle opened the briefing, outlining the organization's extensive experience in addressing HIV/AIDS, with more than 150 projects in 40 countries. She presented compelling evidence of comprehensive approaches that are working to mitigate the spread of HIV and AIDS on the ground. "CARE is on the frontlines of this epidemic, carrying out work all over the world to prevent the spread of the virus and to help people living with HIV and AIDS get the care, treatment and support they need. Our experience over the past twenty years shows that it is essential to place HIV and AIDS within a development framework if we are to succeed in the long run," said Dr. Gayle. CARE's new field report is being issued just as the Senate is set to consider legislation re-authorizing the President's Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). This legislation will determine the future course of the PEPFAR program. "At this critical time, CARE recommends that PEPFAR adopt a comprehensive approach that will address the many social and economic forces that make people – especially women and girls — vulnerable to HIV," said Dr. Gayle. "Poverty, stigma and discrimination, cultural practices and gender inequities must all be factored into the equation. Medical interventions are not enough." Janet Fleischman, one of the report's primary authors, added that "we must tap the knowledge and capacity of the communities who face the challenges of HIV and AIDS every day. "Without community ownership we cannot hope to make programs against the disease effective or sustainable," said Fleischman. CARE staff who work with poor communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America were on hand to report the need for community involvement. Millicent Obaso, CARE's HIV/AIDS advisor for East and Central Africa, spoke about her experience working with communities in East and Central Africa, detailing how CARE's innovative solutions to HIV and AIDS issues have yielded dramatic results. The Nkundabana program in Rwanda is one such example, providing a comprehensive package of care – including education, food and nutrition, medical care, and HIV/AIDS education — for orphans and vulnerable children. Ms. Obaso told the story of Claudine, a 16-year-old orphan who has been the sole caretaker of her 9-year-old sister for the past nine years. Through CARE's Nkundabana program, CARE worked with the community to provide shelter for Claudine and her sister, as well as the necessary trauma counseling to foster relationships of trust. "Children felt secure and comfortable in an environment that linked them to these services," said Ms. Obaso. "Everyone should feel secure in their home, in their communities. Once more, these children felt like they were human beings." "We have the ability to strengthen PEPFAR by adopting these kinds of approaches," said Ms. Obaso. "We must use PEPFAR as a leveraging approach to save the lives of these girls. To realize lasting change, we have to listen to the voices of girls like Claudine." Madhu Deshmukh, Director of CARE's HIV and AIDS unit, told the audience how CARE's approach to addressing HIV and AIDS has evolved over the years, through close collaboration with communities, echoing Ms. Obaso. "We have the means to make the PEPFAR program more effective," said Ms. Deshmukh. "When we take a comprehensive approach and integrate HIV and AIDS into our efforts to ensure food and income security, we can achieve an even greater impact and more lasting results against the pandemic." After an engaging question-and-answer session, the panel concluded the event by urging policymakers to take action by incorporating CARE's recommendations into the U.S. global HIV and AIDS strategy. Read the report now.
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