Help for Haiti AIDS victims

A Florida-based humanitarian organization, Cross International, has been awarded a US$4.8 million grant for a new programme seeking to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS in Haiti.



Cross International received the funds through the US President\'s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR, an initiative started by the Bush administration in 2003 to combat the global HIV/AIDS pandemic.



The grant was announced as countries around the globe observed World AIDS Day on Monday.



Haiti is one of PEPFAR’s 15 focus countries, which collectively represent approximately 50 per cent of HIV infections worldwide.



Last year Haiti received US$84.7 million under the programme.



Haiti is the Caribbean country most affected by HIV/AIDS.