World Bank Approves US$7 Million For HIV/AIDS Prevention And Treatment In St. Vincent And The Grenadines

WASHINGTON, July 7, 2004 - The World Bank today announced the approval of US$7 million in financing to reduce HIV infections, provide treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS, and strengthen institutional capacity to scale-up HIV/AIDS prevention and control activities in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

“This project will help to provide anti--retroviral drugs to those who need them and strengthen the role of civil society, the private sector and government to curb the HIV/AIDS epidemic in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” said Caroline Anstey, the World Bank’s Director for the Caribbean.

The HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Project will support key objectives of St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ national HIV/AIDS/STI Strategic Plan, including:

Increase the participation and build capacity of Civil Society Organizations. Civil society organizations, such as Non-Governmental Organizations, Community-Based Organizations, Faith-Based Organizations, and the private sector will be eligible for grants in areas such as HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care, and mitigation.

Strengthen government capacity for coordination, monitoring and evaluation. Focal points in select government ministries will coordinate HIV/AIDS planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation and by the end of the third year of project implementation, all government ministries will be expected to participate.

Enhance HIV/AIDS prevention. Information, Education and Communication/Behavior Change Communication activities will be promoted through various media, primary health workers will receive training, and condoms will be distributed through the Government’s health care network by civil society organizations and non-health sector ministries. The project will also support programs to prevent, sexually transmitted infections, as well as provide treatment and counseling.

Improve treatment, care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS.  Pharmaceuticals, equipment and supplies, such as anti-retrovirals and test kits will be provided, in addition to home-based care and nutritional support programs. Voluntary counseling and HIV testing services will be available throughout the country.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in St. Vincent and The Grenadines is fueled by a complex set of social, economic, cultural, legal and physiological factors, including gender inequality, and stigma and discrimination. The country is susceptible to further spread of the HIV/AIDS virus due to underlying social factors like the behaviors of populations at risk, including out-of-school boys and girls, prisoners, Commercial Sex Workers (CSWs) and transient workers.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is the ninth country to draw from the World Bank’s $155 million Multi-Country HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Adaptable Program (MAP) Lending. The MAP program has also made financing available to Barbados (2001), The Dominican Republic (2001), Jamaica (2002), Grenada (2002), St Kitts and Nevis (2003), Trinidad  and Tobago (2003), Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (2004), Guyana (2004), and St. Lucia.

Financing for the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Project consists of a US$3.5 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), an SDR 1.25 million (US$1.75 million equivalent) , zero-interest credit, and an SDR 1.25 million (US$1.75 million) equivalent grant from the International Development Association (IDA).  The IBRD loan is repayable in 15 years, including five years of grace. The $3 million IDA credit is repayable in 30 years, including ten years of grace.              

####

For more information about theHIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Project, click here.

For more information about the World Bank’s work in HIV/AIDS, please visit:

http://www.worldbank.org/lacaids