I’ll begin by thanking Minister Aaron Motsoaledi and his team at the Department of Health for inviting me to give a message of support on behalf of USAID and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief; better known to most of you as PEPFAR. It is an honor for me to join you today to mark World Prematurity Day. Maternal and child health is a significant focus of the U.S. government throughout Southern Africa. USAID works closely with many South African partners on maternal and child HIV prevention and care and treatment programs, with a strong emphasis on reducing mother to child transmission, and safeguarding orphans and vulnerable children.
USAID has awarded a five-year, $37.6 million project to work in partnership with the Government of South Africa to improve the public health supply chain. This will improve the availability of medicines, while reducing wait times and stock-outs; making sure medicines are available in the right place at the right time.
USAID’s primary development goal in South Africa is the country’s continued transformation into an equitable, effective, and exemplary nation. In consultation with the South African Government, USAID promotes improved rule of law and respect for human rights throughout Southern Africa, and supports South Africa’s leadership in advancing stability in the region and addressing the critical human rights issue of gender-based violence.
The Nal’ibali Reading-for-Enjoyment Campaign is proud to announce a new association with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Through a recent grant, Nal'ibali will be able to scale and deepen its operations at primary schools in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal over a three-year period.
When the International AIDS Conference opened in Durban 16 years ago, the challenge seemed insurmountable. Scientists were projecting that half of South Africa’s young people would die of AIDS. At the closing of the conference, President Nelson Mandela’s appeal to the delegates was: “Something must be done as a matter of the greatest urgency.”
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