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Mozambique foundation to manage major US grant to combat HIV/AIDS
New York, NY, October 22, 2001 -- The Community Development Foundation (FDC) of Mozambique has been chosen to implement a three-year grant of US $11.5 million from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for a major anti-HIV/AIDS program.The assignment to FDC to manage this grant -- which will support Mozambican HIV/AIDS prevention and care organizations -- is significant because it demonstrates that local foundations can offer a direct channel for getting American assistance to HIV/AIDS- affected communities in Africa. The potential of reaching communities with the assistance of local foundations is a recent development, because community development foundations themselves are still relatively new in many parts of the world.
An important aspect of the grant is that it represents the first time in Mozambique that local and national HIV/AIDS organizations will work together in a strategic collaborative on projects ranging from information dissemination and education to health care delivery. FDC has been preparing for this program for more than a year and a half.
Known as the Development Corridor of Hope, the program will involve individuals and communities living along the Maputo Development Corridor -- a critical road and rail link between South Africa and Mozambique -- in the distribution of information designed to combat HIV/AIDS and encourage safe sexual practices. The program also aims to improve health care for those living with HIV/AIDS and to tackle the discrimination they encounter in their communities. Official estimates say that about 16 percent of Mozambique's population of 17 million is HIV-positive, with 700 new infections occurring daily.
The FDC was established in 1990 as the Association for the Development of the Community and became a formal community foundation in June 1994. It was the first institution of its kind in Mozambique, focusing its activities on generating resources to support community development initiatives. The FDC is chaired by Graça Machel, former first lady of Mozambique and South Africa.
The Synergos Institute has worked closely with FDC since its founding, providing a range of support services, including information, training and direct assistance. Currently, Synergos and FDC are working together to facilitate the emergence of new philanthropic practices and organizations in and outside of Mozambique, with an emphasis on identifying innovative and effective new practices that will pay off in technical and material resources for years to come.
This type of partnership is emblematic of the work of Synergos, which has received support from a wide range of funders, including the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations, to work with partner organizations in nine countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America to strengthen their capacity so that they, in turn, can provide significant financial and other support to local communities and help them identify local solutions to local problems. In 2001, Synergos was selected by USAID to receive grant support for program activities in Mozambique, Brazil and Mexico
According to S. Bruce Schearer, President of Synergos, the USAID grant to Mozambique is "an important milestone in foreign aid approaches in reaching communities that are engaged in fighting the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. It represents an innovative approach that can be replicated in many countries."
Carlos Fumo, Executive Director of FDC, observes that the grant "will enable FDC to create internal capacity to deal with the problem of HIV/AIDS in a more profound way. It is the first time in Mozambique that USAID funding of that size has gone to a national NGO, which means both trust and a tremendous shift that is highly commendable. This kind of approach enables Mozambicans to solve their own problems."
For more information on Synergos' work with the Foundation for Community Development, please see our see our Mozambique activities page.
