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CCA
Announces Gates Foundation Grant to Combat AIDS in
Africa
WASHINGTON,
DC: The Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) announced
today an $875,000 grant awarded by the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation to strengthen U.S.
corporate involvement in the battle against
HIV/AIDS in Africa. The grant will provide funding
for a new CCA initiative to work with corporations,
helping them to institutionalize the most effective
HIV/AIDS business plans and policies.
While Africa
is home to only 10% of the world's population, 70%
of the adults and 80% of the children living with
HIV/AIDS worldwide are in Africa. The private
sector has recognized the pandemic's implications
on the global economy and has become more
aggressively involved in the fight. Through the
Gates Foundation grant, CCA will work with the
private sector to maximize the efforts of
businesses working in Africa.
CCA
President Stephen Hayes spoke to the urgency of the
project. "The U.S. corporations involved in Africa
must play an integral role in our fight against
HIV/AIDS. At an economic level, as the rate of
infection increases, absenteeism in the workplace
and lack of production also rise. CCA is pleased to
work with its members to set a precedent for every
U.S. business involved in Africa to implement
effective business plans relating to HIV/AIDS. It
is through such a combined effort that we can be
effective in breaking the disease's destructive
course."
Over the
grant's three-year duration, the Corporate Council
on Africa, whose members represent approximately
85% of U.S. private sector investment in Africa,
will work with each of its members to establish
effective HIV/AIDS policies in the workplace. On
the continent, member companies will be involved in
developing national HIV/AIDS plans and will work
with African national commissions on HIV/AIDS. CCA
will also work to increase corporate financial
support to combat the disease. CCA will form a
national advisory council of businesses to work
with the organization as it develops its
plans.
CCA,
established in 1993, is a nonpartisan 501 (c) (3)
membership organization of over 165 U.S. companies
dedicated to strengthening the commercial
relationship between the U.S. and Africa. CCA
members represent nearly 85 percent of total U.S.
private sector investments in Africa. CCA's website
is http://www.africacncl.org
The
Corporate Council on Africa
1100 17th
St., N.W.
Suite
1100
Washington,
D.C. 20036
Tel: (202)
835-1115
Fax: (202)
835-1117
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