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and newly approved Tenefovir ARV drugs worth US$7 million to the Government.

The BEAM money was received by Ministry of Labour and Social Services officials, while the ARVs went to the Health and Child Welfare ministry.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, acting Health and Child Welfare Minister Dr Sydney Sekeremayi said:
“I have no doubt that the Tenefovir will go a long way in further strengthening our national response to HIV and Aids and these drugs will definitely augment available stocks and boost the national ART programme particularly at central hospitals.”

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He said it was encouraging that the inflows into the National Aids Trust fund were improving and NAC was allocating 50 percent of the money towards the essential HIV and Aids treatment drugs.
“I would like to commend NAC for continuing to uphold the government policy to allocate 50 percent of the Aids levy inflows for ART support. The Tenefovir drugs we have received are a significant testimony that the Aids levy is reaching the people of Zimbabwe,” Dr Sekeramayi said.

He said although the situation had been improving, the country still had more people who were yet to access ARV drugs as the country targets to achieve universal access by 2015.
“NAC has restarted the procurement of ARVs since dollarisation in February 2009 and is making a very significant contribution towards our national objective of universal access,” he said.

Speaking at the same occasion, Labour and Social Services Minister Paurina Mpariwa said HIV and Aids had left many children orphaned.
“NAC is doing its best for it is deliberately identifying and targeting these children with various forms of support as a means of mitigating the impact of the pandemic,” said Minister Mpariwa.

Minister Mpariwa said: “By affor-ding these children an opportunity to access basic education (through Beam), we are sowing a seed of hope in their future and the possibility of reduced burden of HIV cases in the country. Without education, the future of these children is already sealed in poverty and needless to say this increases the children’s exposure to HIV infection,” said Minister Mpariwa.

She also said although there had been significant contributions towards Beam by both Government and donors, major gaps still existed.
“Only 700 000 children out of the 1 600 000 who are vulnerable are currently being supported through Beam and the contribution by NAC will support 7 500 children of which 3 780 are girls,” she said.

NAC board chairman Reverend Murombedzi Kuchera said Zimbabwe had over 990 000 orphaned children as a result of Aids.
“These orphans together with various other children who are vulnerable due to HIV and Aids as well as other challenges have a variety of needs that must be fulfilled,” he said.