Funded to the tune of 47 million euros, the Dutch-based AIDS Fund is joining forces with six other organisations to combat AIDS/HIV worldwide. The main paymaster of the project is the Netherlands' Foreign Ministry. 

Aimed at an estimated 400,000 gay and transgender people, as well as intravenous drugs users, sex workers and their partners, the project concentrates on preventing HIV infections and improving treatment and care of HIV/AIDS sufferers. 

Dutch approach
The AIDS Fund's project is an example of the so-called Dutch approach, a combination of medical care and prevention with efforts to change attitudes, for instance by decriminalising drug use, homosexuality and sex work.

"The Netherlands is not moralising where aids prevention is concerned", according to AIDS Fund director Ton Coenen. "What is unique about the Dutch approach is that we say 'those people have problems that need to be dealt with'. We simply acknowledge the existence of prostitution, homosexuality and drug use, without passing judgment, regardless of what our personal opinions are." 

All over the world 102 local partner organisations are participating in the new programme. They hail from countries like South Africa, Uganda, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Vietnam, Georgia and Ukraine. Together they will set to work to implement the four-year programme in 16 countries. 

Persecution
In many of these countries homosexuality is a punishable offence and sex workers are subject to relentless persecution. They have hardly any access to care, if at all. "That also puts them out of reach of aid organisations," says AIDS researcher Professor Sven Danner of the Amsterdam Free University. He described the project as 'ambitious', not in the least because it also requires a change in the authorities´ attitudes. 

"They'll need to convince governments and institutions in those [16] countries that things will have to change. Because you can't just change people's convictions, you'll have to demonstrate that it is better for the population as a whole. It has to become possible to reach people with education and preventive measures. It would help if you could prove that HIV infections are fought most effectively by putting an end to the criminalisation of certain groups."

Hopeful
AIDS Fund Director Ton Coenen acknowledges that the project will face resistance and it is not yet clear to what extent individual countries are prepared to cooperate. That's no reason to sit back and wait, he says, expressing optimism about the options:

"In many countries little is done to help these groups. We're convinced that once you start, which we can do with this funding, you can really change things. We are more than hopeful."

The project will be launched in September. 

(rk/imm)