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November 14, 2007, 01:07 PM ET
Gates Foundation Forms AIDS-Prevention Partnership With China
With an initial grant of $50-million, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is set to begin an unusual AIDS-prevention partnership with the Chinese government, reports The Seattle Times.
Despite the relatively small number of HIV-infected people in China, the programs aim to educate those at high risk of AIDS about the virus and how to avoid it, and to stress ways in which those already infected with the disease can assure they do not pass it on.
Unlike the grass-roots groups and other nonprofit organizations the Gates foundation traditionally works with to implement its programs, Beijing’s centralized control means the foundation has had to collaborate with health, security, and Communist Party agencies. The foundation had to wait four years before the Chinese government allowed it to register as a foreign foundation, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Bill Gates, the Microsoft Corporation co-founder, explained that the foundation felt it was necessary to push through the red tape to form this partnership. He said, “A more widespread AIDS epidemic would have tremendous consequences for China and the rest of the world. But it can be averted if we move quickly to expand prevention efforts.”
The Chinese government has shown signs of late that it is serious about preventing the spread of the virus, such as putting $150-million into its AIDS programs this year.
The partnership will target 12 major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou and the island province of Hainan.
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