A seven (7) member group from the MAC AIDS and Global Funds will visit Jamaica on February 10-14 to tour local HIV/AIDS Project funded by the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM). The teams’ visit and activities will coincide with local happenings for Safer Sex Week 2009 being observed over the period February 9-14.
Examining the purpose of the MAC, Global Fund visit, HIV/STI Senior Medical Officer, Dr. Kevin Harvey said “the main aim of this visit is to provide an opportunity for MAC to meet the stakeholders in Jamaica and to explore opportunities for the provision of additional funding”.
Dr. Harvey said he is hopeful that the Global Fund will continue to provide funding for HIV projects in Jamaica, especially in a time when the global economy is unstable.
Through the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative, MAC AIDS Fund supported two (2) HIV/AIDS clinics in Jamaica, the Black River Treatment Center and the Comprehensive Care Clinic. In addition, US$ 1 million was donated by the MAC AIDS Fund to the Global Fund through “Idol Gives Back” to support an HIV/AIDS program in Jamaica. The purpose of “Idol Gives Back”, a special American Idol fundraising show held in April 2008, is to raise awareness and funds for organizations that provide relief programs to help children and young people in extreme poverty in America and developing countries.