The African Development Bank (AfDB) on Thursday announced an $8.3 million dollar grant to help the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Congo in their joint efforts to fight the AIDS pandemic. "These countries have significant cross-border migration and must coordinate their strategies in order to wage an effective battle against HIV/AIDS," the bank said in a statement. The funding is targeted to migrant groups who live along the banks of the three rivers on which the countries lie: the Congo, Oubangui, and Chari. Such groups are often ignored by national AIDS initiatives. The total cost of the Central African project is $9.1 million. AfDB will provide more than 90 percent of the funding, with UNAIDS and the four countries' governments making up the rest.

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