The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) has completed the Round Four HIV/AIDS grant agreement awarded to the Carib-bean Regional Network of PLWHAs (CRN+) and the latter says that the objectives were met.
According to a press release the grant, titled “Strengthening the Community of PLWHA and those affected by HIV/ AIDS in the Caribbean – A Community-based Initiative” was approved on June 30, 2004. It was successfully implemented from August 1, 2005 to January 31, 2009 by CRN+ and five strategic partners: the Caribbean Coalition of National AIDS Programme Coordinators, the Caribbean Health Research Council, the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Alliance, the University of the West Indies and the International Federation of the Red Cross.
The official closure letter from GFATM, dated August 3, 2010 confirmed satisfactory receipt of all pertinent documents/reports and acknowledged receipt of unspent funds amounting to US$17, 061.31.
The major objectives of the grant, as noted in CRN+ media release of July 29, 2004 were achieved, it said. These included the establishment of systems to receive and respond to complaints related to PLWHA human rights violations; training of PLWHA in capacity development, quality of care, treatment advocacy, peer counselling and community mobilisation.
The objectives also included the provision of referral information for services related to social support and treatment adherence counselling; the development and implementation of surveillance systems to track improvement in PLWHA quality of life, including health seeking and risk reduction behaviours; the production and distribution of information aimed at promoting behavioural change and stimulating community outreach and the establishment of new PLWHA member networks and providing ongoing capacity development to pre-existing national networks.
