New Zealand, Australia Aid Papua New Guinea AIDS Project

Under an agreement signed Tuesday with the Asia Development Bank and the government of Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand will each contribute $3.5 million US to help fight the spread of HIV in PNG. According to ADB's Web site, the bank in April approved a $15 million grant for the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control in Rural Development Enclaves Project, for which the PNG government is also providing about $3 million. The new project, which will focus on rural communities seen as HIV hot spots, will seek higher levels of cooperation among government, nongovernmental organizations, development partners, the private sector and the communities themselves. The project will work with communities and NGOs to promote long-term behavior change and to monitor progress. The contributions of New Zealand and Australia will help fund a non-profit company's four-year outreach to market and distribute condoms throughout PNG.

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