$118 Million Allocated for most-at-risk HIV Project

Groups most at risk for contracting HIV are being targeted under a programme funded by the United States Agency for International development (USAID), as outlined in the 2010/11 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House.
The HIV Prevalence in Most-at-Risk Population Reduced programme, which lasts from October, 2009 to September, 2014, will this financial year receive $118.1 million.
The overall targets of the programme are to increase the number of commercial sex workers reporting condom use the last time they had sex; increase the number of men who have sex with men (MSM) who receive HIV testing in the last 12 months; increase the number of MSM who know their HIV status; and increase the number of young men and women between 15 and 24 years reporting condom use and who know their status.
This year the programme will focus on taking incremental steps toward the achievement of the broad objectives. To aid this process, the Ministry of Health plans to increase access to HIV prevalence data for relevant surveillance populations during the 12-month period; establish national and sub-national databases that enable stakeholders to access relevant data for policy formulation for programme management and improvement; and increase the percentage of people 15 to 49 years old expressing accepting attitudes toward persons living with HIV and AIDS.
The programme will also seek to increase the number of registered business and public sector institutions, which have HIV and AIDS workplace policies and programmes.