Donors pledge support for Zambia's AIDS programme

Seven donors pledged 133 million dollars and other donor countries indicted the need to support the programme at a resource mobilisation meeting, Finance Minister Katele Kalumba said.

Kalumba became the first senior Zambian government official to acknowledge the effect of the AIDS crisis. "We're dying at the level of political leadership. We're seeing the loss and the cost to the country is considerable," he said.

The World Bank's senior health specialist, Bert Voetberg, said the bank had also given Zambia a credit facility of 40 million dollars for the three-year HIV/AIDS intervention programme, and had encourage the government to start the project as soon as possible.

"It's up to the government now. We hope the project will start before next June. It's okay even if the government uses the money in two years," Voetberg said.

President Frederick Chiluba opened funding Tuesday with a 90,000- dollar donation from his presidential fund - but came short of declaring the AIDS crisis a national disaster.

Chiluba said the programme would need over 830 million dollars of which 230 million is expected to be met by donors.

(la/dpa)