US awards grants to nine NGOs

United States of America (USA) Ambassador Virginia Palmer on Monday awarded K59.9 million grants to nine disability oriented organisations.

The grants have been disbursed through the Ambassador’s HIV and Aids Small Grants Fund.

In the past three years, the fund has targeted organisations working with people with disabilities to increase their access to health services and economic empowerment.

Said Palmer: “These organisations are implementing programmes which help to promote access to health servicess. I love these grants because they are given directly to beneficiaries in the communities.”

She said 350 organisations applied for the grants, 20 were shortlisted and nine received them.

Deputy director of Nutrition, HIV and Aids in the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare, Charles Mazinga, commended Palmer for the grants which he said would make a difference in the implementation of social protection programmes.

One of the recipient organisations, Community Youth in Development Activities (Coyida), said it would use the funds to train health care workers to provide proper health services to the disabled. n