USAID/Guinea: USAID/Guinea's HIV/AIDS Country Strategy Approved

JUNE 23, 2003

USAID/Guinea's HIV/AIDS Country Strategy Approved

The strategy gives USAID a framework with which to design and implement activities to reduce the transmission of HIV/AIDS in Guinea.

The Guinea Mission's HIV/AIDS Country Strategy was officially approved by USAID/Washington on April 22, 2003. Guinea was the first African country to receive such an approval. Neil Woodruff, USAID/Guinea Health Team Leader, stated that, "We are very pleased that our Country Strategy for Guinea has been formally approved. We now have a framework to design and implement specific activities that will directly reduce the transmission of HIV in Guinea."

USAID-sponsored youth theater group in Kankan doing a skit about HIV/AIDS prevention

Results from the USAID/Guinea-sponsored National HIV/AIDS Seroprevalence Study released in October 2002 reveal that HIV prevalence in Guinea has been significantly underestimated, but that the epidemic is still primarily located in specific geographical locations and "high-risk" pockets of the population that may serve as bridge groups to the rest of the population. In response to the findings of this national survey, USAID/Guinea developed its HIV/AIDS Country Strategy, which has significantly reallocated resources and priorities.

HIV/AIDS prevention and mitigation activities will target both traditional and non-traditional partners and will involve close collaboration with other donors to leverage additional funds. The Strategy aims to promote and facilitate positive changes in personal perception risk and sexual behavior, through multi-sector behavior change communication (BCC) methods. Actions will intensively target high-risk populations and high-prevalence geographical areas, while blanketing the general population with information on HIV/AIDS. Prevention of HIV transmission continues to be the focus of efforts in Guinea, yet the new interventions will also concentrate on strengthening voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) services, rehabilitating sentinel and behavioral HIV surveillance sites, and improve the policy environment around HIV-related issues. Special consideration will be put on gender issues, as well.

Introduction by Kimberly Ross. Photo by Laura Lartigue