Avahan, the India AIDS initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, announced $47 million (Rs. 216 crores) in new grants to support HIV prevention programs for vulnerable populations in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Manipur, and Nagaland.

The grants were announced after a meeting of the Avahan Program Board by Rajat Gupta, senior partner of McKinsey & Company and co-chair of the Program Board, and Ashok Alexander, director of Avahan. They were joined by Patty Stonesifer, co-chair and president of the Gates Foundation. Also present were Dr. Richard Klausner, executive director of the Gates Foundation’s Global Health program, and Helene Gayle, director of the foundation’s HIV, TB and Reproductive Health program.

“The grants announced today will help to significantly expand access to much-needed HIV prevention programs among vulnerable groups,” said Gupta.

“Avahan will now support urgently needed HIV prevention programs in the six states with the highest HIV prevalence, as well as at key points along the national highways,” said Anand Grover, director, Lawyers Collective HIV-AIDS Unit and Member, Avahan Program Board. “We’re confident that these targeted efforts can help control the epidemic in the country as a whole.”

The grants announced will support the following HIV prevention programs:
· Tamil Nadu: The Voluntary Health Services received a grant of $13 million (Rs. 60 crores) to expand access to HIV prevention services among vulnerable populations. Services will include behavior change communication, condom promotion, and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The initiative will cover 16 of the state’s 28 districts that have the highest prevalence of HIV.
· Maharashtra: Family Health International (FHI) and Pathfinder received grants of $10.5 million (Rs. 48 crores) and $8.5 million (Rs. 39 crores) respectively, to implement HIV prevention services in Maharashtra. Their programs will offer behavior change communication, condom use promotion, and STI services to vulnerable populations in the state. FHI will implement the program in Mumbai and Thane while Pathfinder will initiate the activities in 10 other districts in the state.
· Manipur and Nagaland: The Australian International Health Institute received a grant of $5 million (Rs. 23 crores) to implement, in partnership with Emmanuel Hospital Association, HIV prevention services for intravenous drug users and other vulnerable populations in the Northeastern states of Manipur and Nagaland.

In addition, Population Services International received a grant of $10 million (Rs. 46 crores) to offer STI services at existing and new clinics in the states of Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. PSI will also train and support health care providers to treat STIs and conduct outreach to encourage vulnerable groups to seek STI services.

“The grantees announced today have proven track records of delivering HIV prevention services,” said Alexander. “We’re confident that their efforts can help control the epidemic’s spread in India.”