USAID Donates Vehicles to Strengthen HIV Program Management

Addis Ababa - On January 15, 2009 -- the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) donated eight Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles to Ethiopian governmental and nongovernmental institutions engaged in the fight against HIV/AIDs.  The vehicles will help strengthen the institutions’ program management capacity.

The donation, funded through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), included five vehicles for the Ethiopian Drug Administration and Control Authority (DACA), to strengthen the Authority’s five regional branches in Amhara, Tigray, Oromia, SNNPR and Dire Dawa. DACA will use the vehicles in their programs to inspect and control the quality of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies moving in commerce around country. The vehicles will increase the mobility of DACA’s regional staff to travel to remote areas to inspect drug stores and prevent substandard or counterfeit medicines to treat HIV/AIDS and other conditions from entering the country or being distributed.

Three vehicles were donated to the Federal HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office (FHAPCO) and the Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Association (EPA).  FHAPCO will use the vehicles to strengthen coordination activities between regional HAPCOs, while EPA’s will use its vehicle to strengthen regional outreach for its Continuing Education program.

At the vehicle donation ceremony, USAID Mission Director Glenn Anders remarked, “USAID and our implementing partners have made strong efforts to support Ethiopia’s HIV/AIDS programs, and strengthen the public health system.”  Yehulu Denekew, DACA Director General, and Haymanot Assefa, Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Association Director, also spoke at the ceremony.

Management Sciences for Health/Rational Pharmaceutical Management Plus (MSH/RPM Plus), an implementing partner funded by USAID, procured the eight vehicles at a value of U.S.$ 294,917. RPM Plus is one of the leading  USAID contractors responsible for drug supply management of Anti-Retroviral medications (ARVs) and related commodities used for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS under PEPFAR. 

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