Press Release
Senior Medical Officer in U.S. for HIV/AIDS Education & Prevention IVLP
November 25, 2008
Dr. Eliudi Eliakimu, Senior Medical officer at the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, recently traveled to the U.S. on the International Visitor Leadership Programme entitled “HIV/AIDS Education and Prevention.” During his three-week stay, Dr. Eliakimu will have the opportunity to explore U.S. policies on the education, prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS at the national, state and local levels. He will observe the contributions of non-governmental organizations in educating the public about HIV/AIDS and supporting individuals and communities affected by the disease, and the promotion of international cooperation in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS.
The progamme began in Washington, DC November 13, with an overview of the U.S. healthcare system and the scope of the AIDS pandemic and its impact on American society. Participants in a meeting at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services discussed the federal government’s commitment to HIV/AIDS public outreach and education programmes including the Ryan White AIDS Education and Training Centers and the AIDSinfo.gov website. AIDSinfo.gov is a powerful on-line education tool and outreach vehicle that provides useful, user friendly information for people living with HIV/AIDS, their families, friends, health care providers, scientists, and researchers.
Washington DC, which has the highest rates in new AIDS cases in the nation, has an active NGO network dedicated to supporting the fight against the spread of the disease. A panel discussion with representatives from Metro Teen AIDS (an NGO dedicated to supporting young people in the fight against AIDS), Greater Mount Cavalry Holy Church’s HIV Ministry (a 7,000 member African American congregation that operates a targeted HIV ministry) and US Helping US (a local grassroots organization that specializes in HIV/AIDS prevention and care services for gay and bisexual men) was arranged.
This week, Dr. Eliakimu travels to Seattle, Washington to look at AIDS education, prevention, and support programmes at the local level. The teams will reconvene in New Orleans and continue with their local level review in HIV/AIDS service delivery; role of NGOs, and volunteer services.
While in New Orleans they will review Project Lazarus, a unique non-profit home for men and women with HIV/AIDS who can no longer live independently, and whose family and friends are unable to care for them. And also review AIDSLaw of Louisiana, Inc. a non-profit public interest organization that provides legal services and referrals without charge to persons affected by HIV.
The team will then visits Pittsburgh and learn more on AIDS prevention and counseling for specific audiences. The group will meet the Partnership for minority HIV/AIDS prevention, a Pittsburgh based NGO working both locally and globally, that is specialized in working to stem the tide of HIV/AIDS within the African American community and within communities of African descent in other parts of the world.
The group will end their programme in Atlanta, Georgia by looking at the role of state government in HIV/AIDS service delivery; federal government HIV coordination; patient medical care; role of faith-based organizations, and ; HIV/AIDS university medical research.
While in Georgia they will visit staff and care givers at Atlanta’s Grady Infectious Disease Clinic. This clinic is one of the largest and most comprehensive HIV/AIDS care programmes in the nation, serving close to 40,000 patients with dentistry, emergency care, counseling and mental health, pharmacology, HIV/AIDS research and education. Participants will also meet with staff at the AIDS Alliance for Faith and Health, a faith-based organization that seeks to enrich the lives of people with HIV/AIDS by providing compassionate, free of charge, confidential volunteer care teams and educational outreach.
Dr. Eliakimu and the twenty other participants, from countries such as Botswana, Egypt, Ghana, and Malawi, conclude their program on December 4, 2008.
The United States of America is a global leader in combating HIV/AIDS worldwide through PEPFAR, the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. This 10-year, $48 billion program, is the largest initiative in history to combat a single disease. Since its inception in 2003, the American people have provided over $817 million to combat HIV/AIDS throughout Tanzania.
The United States will continue to work closely with the United Republic of Tanzania to strengthen the health of this nation and fulfill President Kikwete’s vision of a “Tanzania free of HIV.”