Pretoria – US President Barack Obama has praised South Africa for leading the way in tackling HIV and Aids and paving the way for a brighter future for its people and their families.
Obama, who is on a three-nation tour of Africa, visited the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation Youth Centre in Cape Town on Sunday during a jam-packed official visit, which included a meeting with President Jacob Zuma on Saturday in Pretoria.
“South Africa obviously has faced a heavy burden from HIV as well as other diseases - Tuberculosis, most recently. But the great news is that South Africa is now leading the way in caring for its citizens, in paving the way for a brighter future for the South African people and their families.”
He said because of the wonderful work that’s being done on the ground, because of the partnership between the United States and South Africa - a model which has been duplicated across the continent - there was the possibility of achieving an Aids-free generation.
While South Africa has done terrific work, he was proud the United States had been a major partner on this issue.
He said the United States had done wonderful work through the PEPFAR programme. “We’ve seen more than $3.7 billion in supporting South Africa’s efforts to combat HIV and Aids.”
“Together, we’re investing in building South Africa’s capacity to manage a national response to HIV and Aids. The South African government is showing leadership up and down the line.”
PEPFAR is an acronym for the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief. It is the US government’s initiative to help save the lives of those living with HIV and Aids around the world.
Obama said the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation Youth Centre was a wonderful example of the transition between moving from receiving US government support through PEPFAR to now independent funding that continues to secure the health and success of Africa’s next generation.
Obama met with counsellors and outreach workers from the centre and said it was because of their work that there had been a reduction in the stigma around testing on HIV and AIDS and greater education around prevention. He said he had seen treatment that allows people to manage HIV and live long and productive lives.
Tutu thanked the President for the contribution that the PEPFAR fund had made in the struggle against TB, HIV and Aids and malaria not just in South Africa but in other parts of Africa.
Obama will this afternoon travel to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, for the final leg of his Africa trip. – SAnews.gov.za
