Women with HIV/AIDS in Vietnam will benefit a small loan worth $350 each from a program funded by the United State Agency for International Development (USAID), state media reported.
The program titled “HIV at Work” was dealt with in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in Hanoi May 10 by the USAID, its partner Family Health International (FHI) and Vietnamese Tinh Thuong One Member Limited Liability Microfinance Institution (TYM).
Under the MoU, TYM and USAID will provide loans via FHI in the first year. And TYM will use its own capital to continue lending activities in the years to come. This way helps the beneficiaries get access to financial services sustainably.
Once benefited from the program, Vietnamese HIV-infected women will receive the money for small business, farming activities or cattle raising to make them more financially independent, resulting in a better re-integration into the community.
The program will be piloted for 100 HIV-positive women in the northeastern province of Thai Nguyen and the central provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh.
Statistics from the Ministry of Health showed that the number of people living with HIV/AIDS was about 222,651 ones as of 2010.
The figure is forecast to reach 280,000 or 0.31% of total Vietnam population in 2012, statistic by the United State Agency for International Development (USAID) showed. (Nguoi Lao Dong – Labor May 11 p2)
