PEPFAR

Ambassador & First Lady Launch AIDS Clinic

Ambassador Aubrey Hooks helped to open an American Emergency Plan-supported clinic in Treichville with Ivoirian First Lady Simone Gbagbo. (Photo: Folli Teko/US Embassy)

American Ambassador Aubrey Hooks and Ivoirian First Lady Simone Gbagbo launched a community-based voluntary HIV/AIDS counseling and testing center in the Abidjan neighborhood of Treichville, to be operated by the Ivoirian non-governmental organization Pierre Angulaire.  The center is one of twelve new centers that are being created thanks to funds from President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).  The center plans to provide free counseling and testing for 1,200 people each year.

The center is an example of how PEPFAR is enabling sustainable responses to HIV/AIDS to be built through local partnerships.  This center is a collaborative effort between Pierre Angulaire, the Mayor of Treichville, the Ministry of AIDS, the Ministry of Health, the HIV/AIDS Alliance, and PEPFAR.  The Ambassador said that this center represents a part of large and unwavering commitment on the part of the American people to work with their Ivoirian brothers and sisters to combat this scourge.

"HIV/AIDS will not be conquered in a day, week, or even in a year.  We will continue to stand with Ivoirians in partnership to ensure that this terrible virus is finally eradicated from Cote d'Ivoire.  When this happens, the local coordination and capacity that PEPFAR has helped to create will leave you better able to tackle other challenges," remarked Ambassador Hooks.