Author: Olesya Kravchuk, AFEW International
AFEW International received the Emergency Support Fund Manager grant from the Elton John AIDS Foundation. This news was announced during the 22nd International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam. AFEW has got this grant together with AIDSfonds.
Within this ‘Emergency Support Fund Manager” grant, AFEW will use its long-lasting expertise and history in grant-making and support to strengthen the capacity of Community Based Organisations (CBOs) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) to overcome emergencies and to become stronger organisations.
“We are very honoured to receive this grant that will last three years,” says the executive director of AFEW International Anke van Dam. “Access to the treatment in Eastern Europe and Central Asia is a crucial need, particularly for key populations most at risk and people living with HIV. Unfortunately, not more than 30% of people living with HIV have access to the treatment. Stock outs of anti-retroviral treatment (ART) do happen, and the Emergency Support Fund is a great means to avoid this.”
AFEW will disburse emergency grants to enable key populations CBOs and NGOs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia to survive emergency situations and to be prepared or avoid emergencies in the future. NGOs and CBOs often deal with emergency situations due to a restrictive legal environment for key populations at risk for HIV, stigma and discrimination of those groups and a limited space to operate as a CBO and NGO.
