New Program to Prevent Spread of HIV Among Mobile Populations

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2009     Addis Ababa (U.S. Embassy) – Save the Children USA, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Federal HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office (HAPCO), and the Federal Ministry of Health, in concert with local and international partners today launched the TransACTION program, which aims to provide HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections prevention and care services for at risk mobile populations. 

The program officially started in May 2009 and will target the most at-risk populations in 120 towns, including commercial sex workers, at risk youth, truck drivers and communities along the identified transportation routes over a period of five years.  PEPFAR, through USAID, has allocated $40 million dollars for the program.  The program aims to prevent new infections, strengthen linkages to care and support services, promote behavior change and communication, increase economic empowerment to avert new infections, build capacity, and promote gender equity and equality.

Speaking at the Hotel Intercontinental during the launch of the program, USAID Mission Director Thomas Staal lauded TransACTION for including private commercial service providers within the health care network.  “This is a bold step towards public/private partnerships which will improve and expedite not only overall service delivery but will also strengthen referral linkages to counseling and testing services,” said Mr. Staal.  In his address, Mr. Staal emphasized that grassroots community organizations and local partners will continue to manage the program with HIV/AIDS committees taking the lead. 
 
TransACTION was initiated as a follow on to the High Risk Corridor Initiative (HRCI), which began in 2001 and targeted at-risk populations in 21 towns along the transportation corridor from Addis Ababa to Djibouti.  According to the TransACTION Chief of Party, Yoseph Burka, “The new program will build on the lessons learned from the HRCI by adopting a balanced approach that combines skill and attitude development with behavior change, risk reduction and underlying complex social norms amongst at-risk individuals.”

Two critical reports, “Faces of Hope” and “The Essence of Life”, which highlight testimonies and success stories from the HRCI were also released at the event.  Marc Nosbach, the Acting Country Director for Save the Children, reiterated the critical role played by HRCI in giving individuals hope and a life line.  Referring to a beneficiary named Mulu from Dukem, Mr. Nosbach said, “by providing just a quintal of teff and cooking tools to Mulu, an HIV-positive and widowed mother of two, we gave her an alternative healthy lifestyle, a sustainable way to feed herself and her two children and above all, hope 
in the future.” Mulu was a beneficiary of one of the many income generating activities introduced to provide economic empowerment to at risk groups and communities.

Emphasizing the significance of TransACTION to Ethiopia, the Director General of HAPCO, Dr. Betru Tekle, said TransACTION is timely and consistent with the national roadmap in terms of addressing the needs of at risk mobile and migrant populations who are vulnerable to HIV due to the nature of their jobs.
 
The launch was attended by USAID/PEPFAR team members, Government of Ethiopia representatives, members of local and international Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), as well as program beneficiaries.