Last month, Bill Gates announced that he would be giving an additional $80 million to Avahan - his foundation’s India AIDS initiative.
The money came close on the heels of a scathing article by Forbes on how the project “got lost between B-school and brothel.” The article called Avahan out on a “lack of practical experience at the top,” on failed out reach efforts, and on overspending on marketing, salaries and travel. It accused the organization of overshooting and stated that, although the effort had made a “dent in the problem,” the impact is “small in relation to the spending.”
The foundation responded stating that the article provided little evidence for its claims, was inaccurate, and misstated Avahan’s goals.
To learn more about how Gates’ $80 million will be use, and what Avahan’s plans for the future are, Mint talks to Ashok Alexander – Avahan’s country director.
What will Bill Gates’s $80 million contribution to Avahan be used for?
The contribution to Avahan will be used to fund and support HIV prevention programs in six Indian states and along national trucking routes. Avahan will continue to fund and support a wide range of partners, including government agencies and more than 100 NGOs, to enable them to reach people with HIV prevention services.
Is this money separate to the funds being allocated for transitioning Avahan’s functions over to the government?
It is part of the same funds, now valued at $338million.
Will Avahan continue to play a role in the future, or will all functions be transferred over to NACO?
We recognize that the fight to stop HIV/AIDS in India is far from over, and we are working with partners, including the government, to ensure that prevention efforts are sustainable. To help achieve that goal, we provide extensive technical support to help government agencies and NGOs effectively manage prevention programs.
Over the next five years, and in several phases, we anticipate that the government will take over the funding and management of several of Avahan’s current programmes, thereby reducing our day-to-day role in program implementation. We are working closely with the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) on this transition, and we have been pleased by their enthusiasm and our strong partnership. We remain committed to the goals of the National AIDS Control Programme, Phase 3 – to halt and reverse the HIV epidemic in India.
Our shared goal is to transfer 10% of Avahan programs in 2009, a further 20% in 2011, and the remainder in 2012.
Are there parts of Avahan’s program that NACO (National Aids Control Organization) will phase out once the transition is made?