Press Release

U.S. Embassy Initiates New Community-Focused HIV/AIDS Relief Grants

December 3, 2008

As part of World AIDS Day activities this week, the U.S. Ambassador’s Community Grants Program has initiated the U.S. Ambassador’s Fund for HIV/AIDS Relief to support small, community-oriented HIV/AIDS relief organizations. The U.S. Ambassador will award grants, ranging from $5,000 to $30,000 (approximately 6.25 to 37.5 million Tsh/-), to assist Tanzania’s most promising small community- and faith-based organizations (CBOs and FBOs) that are making significant contributions to the fight against HIV/AIDS.

The Ambassador’s Fund for HIV/AIDS Relief will give priority to HIV/AIDS programs that assist orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The majority of grants will be awarded to projects based in those regions designated by the Tanzanian Ministry of Health as being the most vulnerable/at risk. These eight regions include: Dar es Salaam, Iringa, Mara, Mbeya, Pwani, Ruvuma, Shinyanga, and Tabora. After addressing the needs of these regions, remaining funds will be awarded to the most qualified applicants from other regions.

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 (over 1 trillion Tsh/-) 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.”

President Bush stated December 1 during World AIDS Day, "I believe in the universality of freedom, and I believe freedom is universal because of an almighty God. And I believe that it's not just freedom from tyranny that the United States must become involved in, I believe it's freedom from disease, freedom from hunger, freedom from deprivation. When we got started there were 50,000 people getting anti-retrovirals in all of sub-Sahara Africa. Today we're able to announce that over 2 million worldwide, including 150,000 in Tanzania, are receiving ARVs. And I wish the American people could see what we have seen after this PEPFAR initiative has kicked in and brought results."

The U.S. Ambassador’s HIV/AIDS Relief Fund is part of the U.S. Ambassador’s Community Grants Program. Other Community Grants include the Ambassador’s Fund for HIV/AIDS Relief and the Democracy and Human Rights Fund. To obtain information and/or an application for these funds, please contact the U.S. Embassy’s Community Grants Office by post at U.S. Embassy Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 9123, Dar es Salaam. All applications must be submitted on the official application form which is available at http://tanzania.usembassy.gov/communitygrants.html.