NGO tightens screws on projects funding

Paidamoyo Chipunza recently in Kadoma
The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria has tightened screws for funding as it presses for domestic mobilisation of financial resources.
Addressing journalists attending a two day workshop on HIV and Aids in Kadoma Thursday, Global Fund national coordinator Mr Oscar Mundida, said for countries to get the full support of their financial requirements, they have to mobilise at least five per cent of total funding they required domestically.
Mr Mundida said failure to raise the five percent locally would result in the Global Fund cutting it’s grant by 15 percent.

“If a country fails to prove that they raised the required five percent locally, GF will reduce its grant by 15 percent,” he said.

He said in the case of Zimbabwe, the Global Fund had approved a grant of $461 million for HIV and Aids for period between 2014 to 2016.

Zimbabwe therefore must raise at least $23 million locally as commitment to resourcing it’s own interventions against HIV.

Failure to raise this $23 million specifically for HIV interventions would result in GF cutting funding to Zimbabwe.

“What GF is trying to do is to wean off countries from donor funding and already other countries have since said they no longer need GF funding as they can now stand on their own,” he said.

Speaking at the same occasion, Mr Alfonce Nengoma from National Aids Council, said Zimbabwe was covered by the National Aids Trust Fund, also known as the Aids Levy.

Mr Nengoma said the country had already surpassed the required five percent through this Aids levy.

He said since the beginning of the year, NAC raised US $24,57 million against a projection of $22,47 million.

“We have a projection surpassing rate of 10 percent and we hope by the end of the year, we would have raised the projected $34 million and therefore fulfilling the five percent required by GF,” he said.

Mr Nengoma said since dollarisation, NAC collected $144, 04 million through Aids Levy.

Although declining, HIV remains a threat to public health in Zimbabwe resulting in main causes of death in the country.