LUSAKA – Today, the U.S. government, through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Small Grants Program, awarded over K2.6 million to 17 non-governmental grassroots organizations representing seven provinces in Zambia during a ceremony in the presence of U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires David Young and Dr. Connie Osbourne of the National AIDS Council.
Chargé d’Affaires Young congratulated the representatives of the selected organizations and spoke to the essential role the awardees play in Zambia’s goal of reaching HIV epidemic control. “The U.S. government takes pride in its support of grassroots, community- based organizations…Community and civil society are key to the U.S. and Zambian governments’ strategy to reach and maintain HIV epidemic control.”
The PEPFAR Small Grants program focuses on three specific areas: 1) providing opportunities for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) to grow and be able to make positive contributions to Zambia’s future; 2) HIV prevention; and 3) democracy and governance related to the national HIV response. The PEPFAR small grants program one of the many ways the U.S. government supports the Zambian health response, including supporting over 1.1 million Zambians living with HIV, with lifesaving anti-retroviral therapy, through the generosity of the American people.
The next open call for applications for the PEPFAR Small Grants program will occur in January 2021. Please visit the U.S. Embassy Lusaka’s website for more information on PEPFAR and other U.S. government supported programs in Zambia: https://zm.usembassy.gov.