No Cash for AIDS Groups Who Mismanage It: Madagascar

Two hundred local AIDS groups charged with failing to account for assistance money will see their funding cut, Madagascar's government said Tuesday.

"Some associations see the fight against AIDS as an easy source of income and do not respect the rules of efficiency," said Fenosoa Ratsimanetrimanana, executive secretary of the National AIDS Committee. "Two hundred of these organizations will have their financing stopped." About 2,000 AIDS organizations operate in the Indian Ocean island of 17 million people.

"Lots of associations are rushing to the campaign against AIDS to get a piece of the money," said Ratsimanetrimanana. "Some destroy their HIV detection equipment after three months so they can profit from buying it anew."

Health Minister Jean-Louis Robinson said funds were often given for projects that changed after the money was disbursed. "Several associations do not respect the content of the project nor the management of the funds they are supplied with," he said.

Last July, the World Bank gave Madagascar $30 million to spend on the fight against HIV/AIDS and other STDs as part of a $240 million development package for the impoverished country. According to the World Health Organization, Madagascar has an estimated HIV prevalence rate of 1.1 percent, though some HIV/AIDS advocates say this number may be too low.

The fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa has periodically been tainted by corruption, such as the establishment of "briefcase NGOs" solely to get cash from donor programs. In August of last year, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria suspended millions in aid money to Uganda due to what it called "inappropriate expenditure and improper accounting" of grants earmarked to tackle HIV/AIDS.

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