U.S. Government funds HIV/AIDS awareness public service announcements for the Haitian Community in The Bahamas

NASSAU, Bahamas – United States Chargé d’Affaires, Dr. D. Brent Hardt presented a check for $5,000 to The Bahamas National HIV/AIDS Program Director Dr. Perry Gomez.

The funds will be used by the HIV/AIDS Center to fund a public service campaign aimed at the Haitian community in the Bahamas in support of the Center’s “Know Your Status Campaign” — an ongoing program that encourages Bahamians to be tested for HIV/AIDS.

The funding supports an ambitious Creole language outreach effort being undertaken by the HIV/AIDS Center. To this end, Creole language posters with the ‘Know Your Status’ message will be distributed to community health clinics in New Providence and the Family Islands. In addition, ‘Know Your Status’ Public Service Announcements will be broadcast in Creole on radio stations that reach the Haitian community.

In November 2006, three local non-profit HIV/AIDS organizations (the HIV/AIDS Center; the Bahamas HIV/AIDS Foundation, and New Providence Community Center) received checks totaling approximately twenty-five thousand dollars from the United States Embassy in support of their ongoing efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS.