HIV centre opens in Kubwa

February 1, 2007 :: Abdulahi M.Gulloma Daily Trust,Abuja,

The HIV centre of the St. Vincent's Clinic and Maternity will be officially commissioned in Kubwa today, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory, a statement from the German Embassy, has said.

The statement said the Embassy in Abuja has donated 8,000 Euro (N1,211,862 ) towards the acquisition of a generator for St. Vincent's Clinic and Maternity and its new "first of its kind" HIV Centre in Kubwa.

The "St. Vincent's Clinic and Maternity" is managed by the Daughters of Charity Health Services in Kubwa.

It is open 24 hours per day and has full medical, nursing and laboratory cover at all times. The Clinic includes a newly built Dream Centre (drug resource enhancement against Aids and malnutrition).

The Dream Centre offers free voluntary counselling and testing, free anti-retroviral treatments and full laboratory services for people diagnosed as HIV positive.

According to the statement, the generator donated by the German Embassy would ensure constant power supply and help to carry the new diagnostic and refrigeration system in the new laboratory of the Dream Centre.

The statement reads in part: "The donation is part of the 'Small Scale Funding Program' of the German Embassy. Projects under this program are aimed at meeting basic development needs of communities to improve the economic and social situation of Nigerian people. Grants are used for the acquisition of equipment or materials needed.

 
"While the 'Small Scale Fund' is administered by the German Embassy, the projects are run by local self help agencies or other institutions and the grant is complementary to local efforts so that the projects are designed and owned by the people and communities themselves.

In 2006 the Embassy has had an overall budget of 68,000 Euro for supporting micro projects. In addition to the Embassy administered "Small Scale Fund", Germany cooperates closely with Nigeria through a number of bilateral projects, like the "Employment oriented Private Sector Development" with a budget of more than 30 Million Euro, managed by the 'Deutsche Gesellschaft Technische Zusammenarbeit' (German Agency for Technical Cooperation, or GTZ). German assistance also includes cooperation with Nigerian NGOs, for example on 'Strengthening Women's and Girls' Rights' in Borno State where a total of 1,5 Million Euro is budgeted for the years 2006-2010.

"However, most of the German assistance is rendered through multilateral channels such as the "European Development Fund" (2002-2007: 552 Million Euro) of the European Union. Germany, the current Presidency of the EU, is the biggest contributor of EU funds."