Addis Ababa – The National HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office (HAPCO) said it is working to meet the universal access in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs).

Speaking at an event organized under the title Celebrating Positive Change: Children, Communities and Care Program (PC3) HAPCO deputy director general, Maskele Lera said the activity being carried out to create universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support has provided encouraging results.

The “positive change” project has accomplished its task through integrating the government and communities over the past five years, Maskele said, adding that some 580 OVC, 575 women, youths and religious institutes as well as 36 non governmental organizations have benefited from the project through capacity building.

He also said currently there are over 504 million OVCs in Ethiopia out of which around one million are orphaned due to AIDS.

Save the children, USA/USAID are engaged in exemplary works and are collaborating in the fight against HIV/AIDS jointly with Ethiopian government, he said.

Save the children USA country director, Margaret Schuler said on her part the Ethiopian government has registered remarkable changes in helping and supporting VOCs and people living with HIV/AIDS in the country.

Two books prepared on issues of OVCs were launched on the occasion.

- WIC

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