ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — A new high-tech center loaded with up-to-date and accurate HIV/AIDS information and resources is set to open in Adama in the Oromia region as an expansion of the national AIDS Resource Center (ARC) located in Addis Ababa.
The national ARC opened in 2002 through an innovative public/private partnership between the Ethiopian Government’s HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office (HAPCO), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs (CCP), and the Constella Group. The national center is part of Ethiopia’s national HIV/AIDS strategy and was the first center of its kind in the country. The regional center in Oromia is the first to be developed as a result of the national center’s mandate to strengthen capacity by expanding to all of Ethiopia’s 11 regions. The regional center is funded by President Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief through CDC, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria through HAPCO.
"This is a very good example of how two top sources of funding, PEPFAR and
the Global Fund, are being harmonized and working together in the country for
maximal impact" said Dr. Tadesse Wuhib, the CDC Country Director.
In Oromia, the center will be fully integrated into the Oromia HAPCO office,
where regional staff will receive orientation, training, and ongoing technical
support from the national ARC. The Oromia ARC and Oromia HAPCO office will be
connected to the national HAPCO and ARC network to more easily share information
and give staff immediate access to the ARC website and databases.
The Oromia ARC will provide access to the Internet through high-speed computer terminals for users to conduct research on current health issues; support the projects and activities of the regional HAPCO and Health Bureau in HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and tuberculosis (TB); and offer Ethiopia print and broadcast media local perspectives and information on HIV/AIDS issues.
It will house a comprehensive multimedia library of materials on HIV/AIDS, voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), prevention of mother to child HIV transmission (PMTCT), antiretroviral therapy (ART), STDs, TB and other health-related issues. Audio-visual equipment for viewing media and utilizing for HIV/AIDS programs and activities will also be made available, as well as databases of local and international HIV/AIDS-related events and conferences, news, materials, organizations, and funding opportunities.
“The Oromia ARC is an exciting extension of our hub operations in Addis,”
said Ato Gashaw Mengistu, Coordinator of the national ARC. “It allows
researchers, policymakers, health providers, media professionals and the general
public in that region to access valuable information and resources related to
HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases like tuberculosis.”
The national ARC is a central library and clearinghouse for the most up-to-date
and accurate local and international multimedia materials on HIV/AIDS, STDs and
TB. These resources provide a broad range of crucial information to health,
policy, and media professionals, and the general public. For more information
visit the national ARC’s website at
www.etharc.org.
HAPCO was established in 2000 to coordinate and direct the implementation of the country’s HIV/AIDS policy. In partnership with all stakeholders, HAPCO designed Ethiopia’s five-year strategic plan to combat the epidemic, and administers government grants for HIV/AIDS programs and research.
The President’s Emergency Plan is a five-year, $15-billion U.S. government
initiative to combat the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. A significant amount of these
resources are focused on 15 of the most afflicted countries in the world,
including Ethiopia. In these 15 nations, Emergency Plan goals include supporting
treatment for two million HIV-infected people, preventing seven million new
infections, and supporting care for 10 million HIV-infected individuals and AIDS
orphans.
With representatives in more than 30 countries, Johns Hopkins' CCP is a pioneer
in the field of strategic, evidence-based communication programs for behavior
change and health promotion that have helped transform the theory and practice
of public health communication. For more information on CCP, visit
http://www.jhuccp.org.
CONTACT:
Gashaw Mengistu
AIDS Resource Center
TEL. 251-1-503583
Arce@ethionet.et
Http://www.etharc.org