title: Grant awarded to support AIDS projects in India.
abstract: The Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Foundation (FXB), New York, New York, will develop community-based programs in rural Rajasthan, India, to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), with the support of a US$300,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  According to the WHO and Joint UN Programme for HIV/AIDS, an estimated 3.7 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in India, more than any single country in the world except South Africa.  HIV/AIDS and other STDs are spreading rapidly in Rajasthan, a rural state in northwestern India with a population of 44 million.  The FXB Rajasthan Society will administer the grant.  Building on the strong tradition of community health care workers in India, the society will develop a model for AIDS/STD education employing village counselors, migrant workers, and peer educators, with the goal of increasing awareness of STDs and promoting voluntary testing and treatment.  The community-based model will then be adapted for use across India as well as in other developing nations.  "We are thrilled to receive help from and to work with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation," said Countess Albina du Boisrouvray, FXB.  "Stopping the spread of AIDS needs a serious financial commitment as well as a bottom-up, community-based approach.  The Foundation understands this, as do our partners in India".
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; D001208:Asia; D003256:Community Participation; D003906:Developing Countries; D004194:Disease; D004467:Economics; D005376:Financial Management; D005381:Financing, Organized; D015658:HIV Infections; D007194:India; D007239:Infections; D009934:Organization and Administration; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases; D014777:Virus Diseases
keywords: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome--prevention and control; Asia; Community Participation; Developing Countries; Diseases; Economic Factors; Financial Activities; Grants; Hiv Infections--prevention and control; India; Infections; Organization And Administration; Reproductive Tract Infections; Sexually Transmitted Diseases--prevention and control; Southern Asia; Viral Diseases