News

Pact-led consortium, USAID partner to reach HIV/AIDS epidemic control in pregnant and breastfeeding women, children and adolescents

June 25, 2019

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded Pact and a consortium of leading global HIV/AIDS partners a five-year, $195 million grant, Adolescents and Children HIV Incidence Reduction, Empowerment and Virus Elimination (ACHIEVE). ACHIEVE will focus on priority PEPFAR countries across Africa, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. The Pact-led consortium includes core partners Jhpiego, Palladium, No Means No Worldwide, and WI-HER, and will be supported by a network of global and local strategic resource partners.

ACHIEVE seeks to achieve and sustain HIV epidemic control among pregnant and breastfeeding women, adolescents, infants, and children. It will work to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, and empower youth to own their own future. To ensure that the consortium’s efforts are sustainable, the project will develop the capacity of local organizations to directly receive USAID funding in line with PEPFAR’s 70/30 localization goal and USAID’s Journey to Self-Reliance.

“Pact, along with our lead consortium members and resource partners, will optimize the response to  pediatric AIDS toward epidemic control in some of the highest burden areas around the world over the next five years,” said Mark Viso, Pact President & CEO. “This is also a significant opportunity to foster capable, vibrant local organizations that have the skills and resources to better serve their communities and take ownership of their futures.”

The ACHIEVE consortium will work with USAID Missions, national governments and existing response partners to identify gaps in HIV prevention and/or treatment programming among the target populations. The consortium will access best practices and expertise along with innovations, either through targeted technical assistance or through direct service delivery, to address critical gaps or deficiencies in meeting country-specific epidemic control goals.

“Pact has long been a leader in the community response to the AIDS epidemic, which continues to negatively impact the lives of mothers and children,” says Tom La Salvia, Senior Health Director. “This new award gives us the opportunity to take our decades of experience implementing innovative, community-based solutions to a new and exciting level and increase our collective impact for these vulnerable target populations.”

The U.S. Agency for International Development administers the U.S. foreign assistance program providing economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 80 countries worldwide.

 

###