On Thursday, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) gave a three-year, $15 million grant to a coalition of five Ugandan religious groups that provide faith-based approaches to fighting HIV/AIDS. The funding was disbursed under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program, according to the U.S. embassy in Kampala.

The Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) is composed of the Catholic Church of Uganda, the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council, the Anglican Church of Uganda, the Uganda Orthodox Church and the Seventh Day Adventist Church. IRCU was formed in direct response to the decision by the Bush administration to allocate one-third of PEPFAR's prevention funding to faith-based groups.

The grant "will enable IRCU to greatly expand HIV/AIDS services to local communities through its coordinated network of faith-based health units, nongovernmental organizations, churches and mosques," the coalition said. Its grant proposal said IRCU plans on "promoting delayed initiation of sex among adolescent youth [and] increasing mutual fidelity among couples."

IRCU will also mobilize and train volunteers to provide HIV/AIDS care, support for antiretroviral treatment and referrals for specialized care.

The grant award comes as some health advocates claim that US pressure on Uganda to push abstinence over condom use is undermining the country's highly successful HIV/AIDS program. Critics argue the "C" in Uganda's "ABC" policy -- Abstinence, Be faithful, use Condoms -- is being downplayed to appease religious groups.

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