Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, May 5:

The HIV/AIDS sector is one of the sectors that attracts the biggest amount of foreign donations. But the agencies and government have not released the amount Nepal receives for the control and prevention of the disease. People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) said today the government does not know how much money flows into Nepal meant for HIV/AIDS control and the victims. According to information collected from various sources, Nepal received Rs 1,098,537,840 meant for HIV/AIDS in 2001-3.

“No one is ready to tell us how much money they get from international agencies. The money is flooding into the country in the name of PLWHA, but we are still in misery,” said PLWHA Rajiv Kafle of Nava Kiran Plus. He said those who are earnestly working in HIV/AIDS field have not received a single rupee. He said these people organise religious programmes to collect the funds.

“But we hear millions of dollars are coming for us. But this is reflected in huge office buildings, elegant vehicles, advertisements, seminars and dinners,” said Kafle. Kafle and his friends once tried to do a survey and sent questionnaires to 70 local organisations, NGOs and INGOs on the source of donation, amount and the description of expenditure. And he said just one replied.

Another PLWHA, Sharan Chh-etri, working for Prerana, said the big organisations have made puppets out of the victims who are made to participate in their seminars, say something on behalf of the victims. “We have not got a single penny from Global Funding in last two years,” he said.