47 million CFA francs to educate 3,500 AIDS orphans

Ouagadougou- Burkina Faso (PANA) -- Development partners including the UNDP, have donated some 47.
1 million CFA francs towards the education of 3,500 AIDS orphans in Burkina Faso.
(750 CFA francs=1USD).
The UNDP contributed 15 millions CFA francs under the programme called "Education for AIDS Orphans," while the French Embassy gave 12 million, the Netherlands Embassy 10 million, and staff of the US Embassy in Burkina 195,000 CFA francs.
Some 40 associations in 17 provinces of Burkina Faso will benefit from the donation, covering school supplies to 2,500 primary and 1,000 secondary school children.
The programme was initiated by France in 2000 as part of the fight against AIDS and the sensitisation of the population on the risks and social consequences of the scourge.
According to official statistics, the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate among people aged between 15 and 49 years in Burkina Faso, is over seven percent.
The pandemic has already killed more than 250,000 people, and orphaned 350,000 children, while some 500,000 patients are living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
At the donation ceremony, the UNDP representative in Burkina Faso, Christian Lemaire said, "the fight against AIDS requires the involvement and mobilisation of all segments of society".