Netherlands grants US$4.6 million for AIDS program

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 12/15/2008 7:18 PM 

The Netherlands government has donated US$4.6 million (Rp 55.2 billion) to support Indonesian government educational campaigns targeting HIV/AIDS prevention among teenagers in Papua and West Papua provinces. 

The Netherlands Embassy to Jakarta first secretary Arnold Van Der Zanden told kompas.com on Monday that his government had made the donation in response to commitments from regional administrations to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS. 

In Indonesia, seven children between 0 and 18 years of age become infected with the HIV virus every day, while one young adult aged between 15 and 24 years becomes infected every hour. 

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) representative to Indonesia, Giafranco Rotigliano, on Monday said he was urging the Indonesian government to include the HIV/AIDS prevention campaign in the national education policy. 

"HIV/AIDS has massive implications for teenagers' health, education and safety," he said. (ewd)