The United States government has contributed over $5 billion in the last 18 years to address HIV in Tanzania.

The funding for the grants comes from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which was initiated in 2003. The details were revealed in a statement e-mailed yesterday.

On Friday, US ambassador to Tanzania Donald Wright awarded grants to 11 registered civil society, nonprofit, and faith-based organizations from across Tanzania to implement community-led monitoring projects that improve HIV services in the country.

The Ambassador’s Fund for HIV/Aids Relief (AFHR) started in 2009 and has provided grants to more than 140 community-based and nonprofit organizations in Tanzania.

The PEPFAR “remains the single largest effort by any country in the world to combat a single disease.”

According to the statement, grant recipients responded to an open call for proposals to implement community-led monitoring activities in their local communities.

The projects will focus on improving the quality of HIV services by gathering data about HIV patients’ problems, challenges and barriers related to HIV service access, uptake, and retention at health facilities.

The results from these monitoring efforts will assist health facilities and local governments to make continuous quality improvements to the HIV services offered.

This will advance the standard of care and make the process more straightforward and customer service oriented for people living with HIV.