Zimbabwe’s fight against Aids received a boost this week from the European Union and the United Nations Population Fund in the form of a 5.66 million euro grant for programs aimed at changing sexual behavior to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.
The US$7.3 million grant will be spent over 3 years to promote use of female condoms and warn sexually active Zimbabweans of the dangers of having multiple partners.
Such behavioral changes helped lower Zimbabwe's HIV prevalence rate from close to 25% of the adult population to around 18% in one recent study.
Information coordinator Chitiga Mbanje of The Center, a non-governmental organization that provides counseling, training and home care to people living with HIV-AIDS said that the funds could make a difference if put to good use.