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CONTACT: Jed Hoffman Catholic Relief Services +410 234 3180 jhoffman@crs.org

CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES MILESTONE: MORE THAN 325,000 PEOPLE IN COMPREHENSIVE HIV CARE AROUND WORLD

More than 125,000 people on antiretroviral therapy

Dakar/Senegal, July 22, 2008 - AIDSRelief, Catholic Relief Services' largest project, achieved a milestone this month: The project cares for and treats more than 325,000 people, and more than 125,000 people are on antiretroviral therapy (ART).

"This is an important benchmark in the history of CRS' HIV care," said Ken Hackett, president of Catholic Relief Services. "The success of AIDSRelief shows that HIV-positive people, who otherwise might have died, can now not only be successful but can also be leaders in their communities."

The Senate recently reauthorized the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) - which supports AIDSRelief - by providing $48 billion to extend it for five years. PEPFAR was set to expire in September.

"Thanks to the new PEPFAR funding, CRS and our consortium members will continue to support local partners as they provide quality care and treatment through the year 2014," said Jed Hoffman, Chief of Party for AIDSRelief.

AIDSRelief - which received $371 million in PEPFAR funding in 2004 - supports 163 local partner treatment facilities in 9 countries. In addition to care and support and ART distribution, the consortium provide HIV and AIDS awareness education, abstinence and behavior change programming, and support for orphans and other vulnerable children.

In Rwanda, more than 7,000 HIV-positive Rwandans have been cared for through AIDSRelief, with close to 3,000 people currently on ART.

Médiatrice and Theoneste are two Rwandans who know the power of AIDSRelief. Médiatrice is a 32 year-old, widowed single mother. Theoneste is a 34 year-old father of three.

She was married at 18 and her husband died 8 years later, leaving her to raise her 5 year-old daughter. In 2002, when lotion would not stick to her skin and she became sick, she decided to get tested. Theoneste was tested in 2004 when his wife was pregnant with their third child.

Both Theoneste and his wife were HIV positive. He was fired from his job and his father started planning how he would take over his property when he died. He contemplated suicide. Médiatrice was shunned by her family.

"It was difficult for me to accept [that I was HIV positive]," said Médiatrice. [I was] thinking of how young I was when I got married, and that I became a widow at a young age. With one child, it was heavy for me. My in-laws rejected me, and I was seriously discriminated [against]."

But thanks to AIDSRelief, their lives have changed. Since she started taking ART, Médiatrice has bought two plots of land to farm, some livestock, and she has opened a bank account for her daughter.

Theoneste now digs and sells stones for construction. He built his own house, has five fields he works, and a cow so his children have milk.

"AIDSRelief has proved without a doubt that quality antiretroviral treatment can be provided successfully in resource poor countries," said Dr. Carmela Abate-Green, AIDSRelief Deputy Chief of Party for Programming. "It is transforming lives where there was no hope; families are able to improve their livelihoods and communities are recovering."

AIDSRelief is led by Catholic Relief Services and includes the University of Maryland's Institute of Human Virology, Constella Futures, Catholic Medical Mission Board and IMA World Health.

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Catholic Relief Services is the international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency provides assistance to people in more than 100 countries and territories based on need, regardless of race, nationality or creed. For more information, please visit www.crs.org or www.crsespanol.org