If the U.S. Congress says yes to President George W. Bush, the campaign against global poverty and HIV/AIDS will experience a better fiscal season starting October 01.
A peek into the latest budget proposal from the White House reveals a two-fold increase for the Millennium Challenge Corporation an enterprise that extends aid to nations that work towards attaining "good governance and sound policies" from $1.49 billion to $3 billion. Currently, the MCC adjudged 17 countries as suitable recipients of its support and they include Armenia, Benin, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Georgia, Ghana, Honduras, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Senegal, Sri Lanka and Vanuatu.
The Bush administration also pursues a financial lift for the U.S. Global HIV/AIDS Initiative, from its previous allocation of $1.37 billion to $1.97 billion. The program champions the movement to fight the deadly disease in the "most severely afflicted countries," namely, Botswana, Ethiopia, Guyana, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam and Zambia.
Source: US foreign aid up for HIV/AIDS, Millennium funds (Reuters)