The African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships (ACHAP) was founded in July 2000 as a joint effort of the Government of Botswana, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Merck Company Foundation/ Merck & Co., Inc.
The partners selected Botswana because it had one of the highest adult prevalence rates of HIV and AIDS in the world (see sidebar below), a viable existing health care infrastructure and strong political will and commitment to address the challenges of HIV and AIDS.
From the beginning, Merck and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation sought through the partnership to create a program that would leverage private-sector management expertise to resolve social and public health issues. They also hoped to create a pilot program, which, if successful, could serve as a model to inform and encourage others in government, international organizations, foundations and the private sector working to address HIV and AIDS in other countries or regions.
Strategic Objectives
ACHAP supports and enhances the government of Botswana’s national response to the HIV and AIDS epidemic through a comprehensive approach to prevention, care, treatment and support. ACHAP has six strategic objectives:
- To scale-up the quality of — and access to — comprehensive HIV prevention services
- To expand HIV counseling and testing capacity
- To increase coverage of quality HIV and AIDS treatment services to all eligible people
- To increase the capacity of communities to utilize and provide HIV and AIDS services
- To improve ACHAP's institutional capacity to deliver effectively on its strategic objectives
- To strengthen partnerships and build capacity to support the sustainability of the national response.
In 2007, ACHAP expanded its support to target co-infection of HIV and tuberculosis (TB). HIV infection has fueled an explosive increase in TB cases in Botswana since the early 1990s: It is estimated that 65 – 85 percent of TB patients are HIV positive, and HIV-related TB is the leading cause of death among adult AIDS patients.
One of the strengths of ACHAP has been in its full integration with government strategy, as well as its ability to harness private-sector expertise in support of national efforts to address HIV and AIDS. All ACHAP programs are developed through extensive consultation with all relevant government ministries. Partnership programs must build local capacity, demonstrate a measurable impact on the epidemic, be cost-effective, appropriate to the setting in which they are delivered, and sustainable beyond the life of the partnership. All programs must also fit within the strategic goals of The Government of Botswana’s National Strategic Framework (NSF) for HIV and AIDS 2003-2009.
The partnership has a full-time staff based in Gaborone, led by the Managing Director, Dr. Themba Moeti. Prior to joining ACHAP in November 2006, Dr. Moeti was Deputy Permanent Secretary for Support Services at the Ministry of Health in Botswana, with responsibility for the Departments of Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, and for Health Sector Relations and Partnerships. ACHAP is overseen by a five-person Board of Directors, which includes two representatives from The Gates Foundation and Merck, as well as a fifth member from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Funding is committed by Merck and the Gates Foundation through December 2009; ACHAP is now examining how it can best continue to support Botswana’s efforts after this time. The ultimate goal is for ACHAP and the programs it supports to become self-sustaining and integrated into the efforts led by the Government of Botswana.
The content on this page was last modified on September 15, 2009.
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