Agreements signed for Global Fund millions

Mozambique has signed four grant agreements totalling US $51 million over two years with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The money was approved as part of the fund's second round of grant proposals and includes $30 million for HIV/AIDS programmes. Existing government, community and NGO initiatives, such as peer education, health care worker training, condom promotion and distribution, voluntary counselling and testing and home-based care will be expanded. Global Fund executive director Richard Feachem said in a statement: "These grants are a crucial step forward for Mozambique. The government is visibly committed to a comprehensive approach to fighting all three diseases - these grants will support the necessary infrastructure to implement their national strategy, with the involvement of the communities concerned." Mozambique has been hard hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, with an estimated prevalence rate of 14 percent and some 60,000 AIDS orphans.