New funding of USD 820,000 will allow IOM Haiti to continue to
assist persons affected or infected by HIV/AIDS through to the end
of 2011.

The funding provided by the United States President's Emergency
Plan for AIDS Relief or PEPFAR will provide vulnerable members of
the Haitian population with employment opportunities.

The workforce employed for PEPFAR-funded projects includes a
minimum of 65 per cent of workers either affected or infected by
HIV/AIDS.  IOM offices throughout the country work with their
health counterparts to provide frequent informal HIV/AIDS workshops
(at least every two weeks) to raise awareness, educate people about
the risks and reality of transmission and challenge people's
misconceptions of HIV/AIDS.  The workshops serve as a forum to
discuss other health related topics as well.

While contributing to durable development in their communities,
workers also earn a small salary. The short-term jobs are an
important source of income for families struggling to meet
nutritional needs, care for orphans and vulnerable children, and
those living with HIV/AIDS. A total of 1,858 jobs were created
through PEPFAR funding generating 16,782 person days of employment
since the January 2010 earthquake.

Participants in community building activities often develop
professional skills and experience in masonry, carpentry,
agriculture, and environmental protection that can be applied in
future work.  Field interviews have revealed that workers
often set aside a portion of their wages to invest in small
businesses, agricultural plots and education – investments
that have long-term ramifications.

PEPFAR projects, and the HIV/AIDS workshops that accompany them,
are effective catalysts in eroding the stigma that surrounds the
virus.  HIV positive members of society that have
traditionally been stigmatized now find themselves at the forefront
of development and growth through these projects.

PEPFAR-funded projects are carried out under the Programme de
Revitalisation et de Promotion de l'Entente et de la Paix
(PREPEP).

PREPEP works with community-based groups in marginalized,
conflict-prone areas to identify small scale, high-impact projects
designed to engage a wide cross-section of the community in its own
stabilization and improvement.  Projects include schools and
health clinics; wells and latrines; irrigation and drainage canals;
roads and bridges; family garden plots; soil conservation
structures: tree planting, stone walls and gulley plugs; and other
public infrastructure.

IOM PREPEP works with Family Health International, Catholic
Relief Services, Partners in Health and Fondation Ester Beaucicault
Stalinasse  in the three target areas of Les Cayes, Saint Marc
and Cap Haitien.  Ongoing work has strengthened these existing
partnerships and developed new partnerships with local health
associations, such as ASSON (National Association for Solidarity)
and APVIH (Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS) in Les
Cayes, and FOSREF (Fondation pour la santé reproductrice et
l'éducation familiale) in Saint Marc.

Work will continue to develop the capacity of these local and
international health groups to educate and support at-risk
populations and combat the spread of HIV/AIDS.  IOM has met
with World Concern to expand PEPFAR programming to
Petit-Goâve later this year.

To date PEPFAR has provided PREPEP with a total of USD 4.2
million.  Additional funding will expand the reach and deepen
the impact of existing projects – employing more at-risk
Haitians, meeting additional needs for infrastructure, creating
more long term economic opportunities and promoting stronger
community cohesion with government support.

For more information on PEPFAR and PREPEP in Haiti please
contact:

Hans Goertz

Tel: + 509-3701-7828

E-mail: "mailto:hgoertz@iom.int">hgoertz@iom.int

or

Leonard Doyle

Tel: +509 3702 5066

E-mail: "mailto:ldoyle@iom.int">ldoyle@iom.int