Below is the press release. The new local NGO grants went to:
AIDS Support Group (ASG) - Tachileik
Phaung Daw Oo Monastic Education High School (PDO Jivaka Project)
Yadan Theikdi Parahita Orphanage and Monastic Education School: Mogoke (Metta Moe Health Care Project)
Mahaythi Women's Development Co-operative Society Ltd.
Substance Abuse Research Association ( SARA )
Community Development Association (CDA)
Myanmar Health Assistant Association
Retana Metta Organization
The full list of grantees of the Three Diseases Fund is attached.
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NEWS RELEASE
Eight Myanmar NGOs receive new grants from the Three Diseases Fund
Yangon, 16 January (Three Diseases Fund)- In a signing ceremony held in Yangon on 16 January in the presence of representatives of the Ministry of Health (MoH), eight Myanmar non-governmental organizations working with communities to fight Tuberculosis, Malaria and HIV and AIDS received from the Three Diseases Fund (3DF) new grants of US$70,000 each for one year.
"The Fund is committed to working more closely with local NGOs and CBOs in recognition that many of them have strong grassroots networks and can reach beneficiaries in parts of the country not easily accessed by public health services or international NGOS", said Ms. Denise Jeanmonod, spokesperson in the Fund Management Office.
A special study was commissioned by the Fund in 2007 to identify ways in which the Fund could work more closely with community-based organisations. In response to this study, a call for expressions of interest specifically focusing on local organizations was launched in January 2008. The first eight grantees are drawn from 60 expressions of interest. More grants will be allocated to local organizations during the coming year.
The Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria (Global Fund) withdrew from Myanmar in 2005. Shortly afterwards six donors (Australia, the European Commission, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom) pledged US$100 million until 2011 to establish the Three Disease Fund respectively contributing: DfiD: US$36 million; EC: US$23 million; Sida: US$15 million; AusAID; US$13 million; Netherlands: US$7 million; Norway: US$7 million.
Over the last two years (2007-2009), the 3DF has granted total US$41 million to 38 projects from 15 international non-governmental organizations, 5 UN agencies, medical associations and local non-governmental organizations reaching out to remote communities through mobile and fixed clinics, volunteers, basic health workers and township medical officers working in the national disease control programmes.
Nevertheless, more resources are needed to control the three diseases in Myanmar. The 3DF contributes to 50 per cent of anti-retroviral treatment (ART) in the country for some 5500 patients and to 37 per cent of the national response to HIV with US$14 million over a budget of US$38 million.
Malaria control is even more challenging: with US$5.1 million covering 75 per cent of the national response, the 3DF helps reducing the burden of the disease for 5 per cent of the population living in endemic Malaria areas 39 million people).
For TB the 3DF provides 46 per cent of the resources. By funding the transportation of TB drugs nationwide, it helps giving broad access to treatment.
The Union of Myanmar has now put forward a new application to the Global Fund (Round 9).
For more information
Denise Jeanmonod, Communications Officer, Three Diseases Fund
Tel/Fax: 95-1-534498, 504832 (ext. 210), 95-9-5183525 (mobile)
E-mail: denisej@unops.org
Internet: http://www.3dfund.org
3DF key achievements 2008 (update status: 30 June)
# people received voluntary counselling and testing 96,020
# drug users participating in prevention activities 28,852
# patients on anti-retroviral treatment 5,530 (of which 270 children)
# population at risk of malaria protected with bednets 836,644
# malaria cases treated 117,008
# new sputum smear positive TB cases detected 20,162
# new PTB ss+ cases successfully treated 18,329
