Hope has come alive for HIV/AIDS-affected children and poor families in selected 4 Nigerian States ,namely Edo,
Benue, Kogi, and Nassarawa as well as the FCT.
U.S. Consul General F. John Bray and the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID) Mission Director for Nigeria Michael Harvey
attended the launch of a US$1 million program to support HIV/AIDS-affected
children and families.
First Lady of Edo State
Iara Oshiomhole and Edo State Commissioner for Women Affairs Mrs. Aenena
Jemitola Fulani-Ojo hosted the launch event at the Banquet Hall of the Edo
State Government House.
This program, funded by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan
for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through USAID, will help lift out of poverty 15,000
families affected by HIV/AIDS in Edo, Benue, Kogi, and Nassarawa States and the
FCT.
Each selected family will
receive a cash amount to enable them to pay for school, purchase food and other
necessities, and become self-sufficient entrepreneurs.
"Since the inception of PEPFAR, the U.S. government has
made a point of focusing on children who have been most affected by the
HIV/AIDS epidemic," said Mission Director Harvey. "The program
we are launching today brings hope to 2,400 vulnerable families here in Edo
State alone. We want this to be a model for how such programs can effectively
and affordably be put in place, so that other states can follow suit."
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