June 20, 2007, Chapel Hill, NC—IntraHealth International, a leader in meeting the public health needs of developing countries, has been awarded a $27 million grant to improve health services in Rwanda. The HIV/AIDS Clinical Services Program is a new five-year grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) that will reinforce Rwanda’s health care system and expand access to HIV/AIDS clinical services.

The award was announced just before the 2007 HIV/AIDS Implementers Meeting began in Rwanda this week. The meeting, with nearly 1500 global attendees, has a special focus on scale-up of prevention, treatment and care programs, building capacity, quality and cooperation among partners.

"This new grant is an exciting opportunity for IntraHealth, which has been working in Rwanda for nearly 20 years, to implement a comprehensive HIV/AIDS program," said Pape Gaye, President and CEO of IntraHealth International. "With the addition of this project, we are now involved in most of the key health care interventions in Rwanda, which will further our goal of contributing to the health and well-being of the Rwandan people."

Rwanda faces a critical shortage of physicians and nurses and an overstretched health care system further burdened by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. IntraHealth will collaborate with Rwanda's Ministry of Health to increase the availability and accessibility of needed HIV/AIDS treatment, care and prevention services, including prevention of mother-to-child-transmission of HIV.

"We are thrilled to have been awarded this important project, which will be implemented by a talented and dedicated Rwandan team, including some national HIV/AIDS leaders," said Karen Blyth, who directs the new project in Rwanda. "IntraHealth has a great opportunity to make an important contribution in combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Rwanda."

IntraHealth's other activities in Rwanda, also funded through the US government, support the Rwandan government's efforts to improve primary health care services, expand educational opportunities for Rwandan nurses, and build management capacity of Rwandan health managers.

IntraHealth International is a global health nonprofit that champions the critical role of health workers in health and development. For over 30 years, IntraHealth has empowered health workers to better serve communities in need, fostering local solutions to health care challenges by improving health worker performance, strengthening health systems, harnessing technology, and leveraging partnerships. The nonprofit’s work is supported and funded by the US Agency for International Development, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, private foundations, corporations and individuals.

Contact: Laura Hoemeke
IntraHealth International
+1 919-360-7799