Indiana University

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Thursday, December 13, 2007

Last modified: Thursday, December 13, 2007

Indiana University – Moi University AIDS Program Beneficiary of $100,000 grant

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 13, 2007

INDIANAPOLIS -- The partnership between Indiana University School of Medicine and the Moi University School of Medicine in Eldoret, Kenya, has received a $100,000 grant from The UPS Foundation, the charitable arm of UPS.

The grant will support the Family Preservation Initiative, which helps get HIV-positive patients back on their feet and financially self-sufficient. It is part of the AMPATH (Academic Model for Prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS) program of the Indiana-Moi Partnership that provides life-saving treatment to over 50,000 HIV-positive persons in western Kenya and short-term food assistance for 30,000 people each week.

The Family Preservation Initiative provides a number of services for AMPATH patients, including micro credit and agricultural finance services, pro bono business training, consultancy and planning services for small business development and administration, and an agricultural cooperative focusing on high-value crops for rural farmers living with HIV. AMPATH also provides full- and part-time employment in a Fair Trade-certified craft workshop that employs and trains 150 HIV-positive persons per year.

"There is no more important part of our work in Kenya than providing our patients with a hand-up rather than a hand-out -- to establish themselves financially with the skills and support they need to support their families," says Robert Einterz, M.D., associate dean for international affairs at the IU School of Medicine and director of the IU-Moi Partnership. "We are thrilled that The UPS Foundation has helped provide a long-term, secure site for those efforts to grow and expand."

The UPS gift also will help make a center for visitors to AMPATH, a program that attracts an increasing number of international observers eager to see what is widely considered to be the most comprehensive approach to HIV/AIDS in all of Africa.

Established in 1951 and based in Atlanta, Ga., The UPS Foundation identifies specific areas where its backing clearly impacts social issues. In support of this strategic approach, the foundation has identified literacy, hunger relief and volunteerism as its focus areas.

In 2006, The UPS Foundation distributed more than $45 million worldwide through grants that benefit organizations or programs such as AMPATH and provide support for building stronger communities.

"Giving back to the communities is an important part of UPS's nearly 100-year-old culture that's embraced by our employees through volunteerism, making donations and sharing their unique skill sets," said Lisa Hamilton, president of The UPS Foundation. "Together with nonprofit partners such as AMPATH, we work to make a positive impact on the lives of people in need."


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