CCP part of global consortium to receive up to $50 million award

The five-member consortium has been awarded up to $50 million from USAID, under the "Communities Responding to the HIV/AIDS Epidemic" (CORE) Initiative, to support work in Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, Asia, Europe and Eurasia over the next five years.

"We cannot win this war against AIDS without much broader partnerships with faith and community-based organizations," said Dr. Anne Peterson, assistant administrator for global health at USAID. "These organizations know their community and are a part of their community."

Along with CARE, the partners in the consortium include the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Communication Programs (CCP), the International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Brighton, U.K., the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), and the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva.

Over the five years of the award, the consortium will build the capacity of community- and faith-based organizations through small grants, which will scale up successful small projects and facilitate the exchange of information and expertise.

"The HIV/AIDS pandemic is the worst humanitarian crisis of our time," said Peter D. Bell, president and CEO of CARE USA. "Through this initiative, we will extend the scope of our efforts on HIV/AIDS far beyond what each of us could achieve individually."

Nonsectarian organizations are partnering with faith-based organizations, which in many cases have been among the first to respond to the needs of people living with the HIV and AIDS. 

"The CORE initiative is both a challenge and an opportunity for the faith communities," said Rev. Dr. Konrad Raiser, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, "Challenge because as the pandemic has unfolded, it has exposed fault lines that reach to the heart of our theology, our ethics, our liturgy and our practice of ministry. Opportunity because faith-based organizations have strengths, they have credibility, and they are grounded in communities."

The global alliance has received the support of more than 70 organizations worldwide, and will work closely with partners in developing countries. People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) will be actively involved in the project. Kristin Kalla, until recently director of CARE's HIV/AIDS unit, will be providing leadership for the consortium in Washington, D.C.

About CARE: For 57 years, CARE has been a leader in the fight against global poverty. With a presence in more than 60 countries, CARE helps people in poor communities secure the ability to earn a living, to care for their families, to live free from discrimination, and to realize their full potential - socially, culturally and economically. Last year alone, CARE helped more than 31 million people around the world effect real, positive changes in their lives.

About CCP: The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health established JHU/CCP in 1988 to focus attention on the role of communication in changing behavior and to provide leadership in the field of health communication. With more than 250 field staff in 30 countries, JHU/CCP has developed and managed over 700 country-based projects and programs in HIV/AIDS and reproductive health, child and adolescent health, environmental protection and good governance, involving more than 400 local organizations in 81 countries.

About the International HIV/AIDS Alliance: The International HIV/AIDS Alliance was founded in 1993 to improve support for community action on AIDS in developing countries. Its approach is based on evidence that HIV/AIDS services and activities are particularly effective when carried out by local organizations with links to a wider body of information, expert technical support and good practice at the national, regional and global level. The Alliance has provided technical support to thousands of organizations in over 40 countries. 

About ICRW: Founded in 1976, the International Center for Research on Women is a private, not-for-profit organization with the mission is to improve the lives of women in poverty, advance women's equality and human rights, and contribute to broader economic and social well-being. ICRW accomplishes this, working in partnership with others, through research, capacity-building, and evidence-based advocacy on issues affecting women's economic, health, and social status in low- and middle-income countries.

About WCC: The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of faith-based groups, now 342, in more than 100 countries in all continents. Member organizations represent 450 to 500 million people. The WCC has developed education and resource materials on HIV/AIDS for communities, health workers, pastors and teachers, and is involved in policy and advocacy to seek effective ways of responding to HIV/AIDS.