USAID Mali Receives Top Honors During Ceremony on World AIDS Day

USAID Deputy Director Jim Wright Receives Award from Malian President

At the December 1, 2007, World AIDS Day celebration in Mali, the USAID Mission in Mali, along with its implementing partners the Health Policy Initiative Project and Population Services International (PSI), received top honors from Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré.  USAID programs were credited with having contributed to a 0.4% decline in prevalence rate among the population from 1.7% in 2001 to 1.3% in 2006.

USAID’s HIV/AIDS control programs, which are implemented in partnership with the Government of Mali, focus mainly on the following:

• Sentinel surveillance of pregnant women through the Centers for Disease Control (CDC);
• Integrated seroprevalence and behavior survey of at-risk groups through CDC;
• Prevention, treatment and care,
• Countrywide HIV seroprevalence survey among the general population during the Demographic and Health Survey through USAID financial and technical support;
• Advocacy and policy support for HIV response through the Health Policy Initiative;
• Social marketing of condoms through PSI;
• Prevention for at-risk groups and the general population through PSI;
• Promotion of quality voluntary testing and counseling centers, prevention and fight against stigmatization.

During the ceremony, the USAID Mali-funded Health Policy Initiative gave an impassionate plea for strong leadership through a presentation on the AIDS Impact Model (AIM Model).