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Mr. Ako (middle), President Bush and the First Lady (Photo: White House Photographer)

Ivoirian HIV/AIDS Activist Meets President Bush at the White House

U.S. President George W. Bush received Mr. Cyriaque Yapo Ako, Executive Director of the Réseau Ivoirien des Organisations des Personnes Vivant avec le VIH/SIDA (RIP+), at the White House on Dec. 1 as part of a World AIDS Day observance during which the president also announced three new grants for HIV/AIDS prevention and care projects in Cote d’Ivoire.

Mr. Ako is an activist and leader in the campaign for the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS and for the extension of HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment services in Côte d’Ivoire. RIP+ is one of about 100 Ivorian organizations supported by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

During the White House meeting, President Bush announced 23 three-year grants for HIV prevention and care services under the New Partners Initiative, including grants to RIP+, the Ivorian NGO Le Soutien, and the international NGO Geneva Global working in Cote d’Ivoire. The president and Laura Bush hosted a roundtable discussion that included PEPFAR officials and partners in the fight against HIV/AIDS from Botswana and Namibia. In a statement after the roundtable, President Bush announced that 822,000 people are now receiving AIDS treatment with support from the five-year, $15 billion President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the largest international health initiative in history dedicated to a single disease. The number receiving treatment has been growing steadily since PEPFAR became operational in 2004. Within its five-year mandate, the PEPFAR goal is to provide treatment to 2 million people.

In Cote d’Ivoire, the U.S. embassy in partnership with the Ivoirian Ministry in charge of HIV/AIDS and other local PEPFAR partners organized a series of activities to mark World AIDS Day. These included a visit by Ambassador Aubrey Hooks to PEPFAR-supported HIV counseling and testing, antiretroviral treatment, and prevention of mother-to-child transmission centers in Agboville. In a statement, Ambassador Hooks said: “The leadership and commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS in Côte d’Ivoire are strong and growing.” He said people living with HIV have also been instrumental in planning, delivering, and monitoring the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS programs. According to Ambassador Hooks, “The Emergency Plan is dedicated to supporting these efforts today and to increasing local capacity for Ivorians to respond tomorrow.”

Speaking for the Ambassador at World AIDS Day ceremonies Dec. 1 in Agboville, Deputy Chief of Mission Vicente Valle commended Ivorian women for their “leadership role in the fight against HIV/AIDS.” He called for a renewed commitment to the struggle and promised continued support from PEPFAR, which he said is contributing about 25 billion Francs CFA this year.

On behalf of the ambassador, CDC Chief of Party Dr. Monica Nolan on Dec. 2 in Débrimou helped launch a four-year program aimed at providing HIV/AIDS prevention and care, and expanding access to comprehensive HIV/AIDS care and treatment services for rural residents in six regions. The program, which will be implemented the National Agency for Support to Rural Development (ANADER), includes community-based campaigns to promote safe sexual behavior, confidential HIV counseling and testing, and care for orphans and vulnerable children. 

As a prelude to World AIDS Day, about 40 Ivorian print and electronic media journalists gathered at the American Embassy Nov. 20 to discuss with Diane Seligsohn, a Radio France International reporter, how to cover HIV/AIDS. The discussion focused on the special problems and social challenges faced by journalists reporting on the subject.