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The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at New Delhi today to collaborate to make food and nutrition an integral part of all policies and programmes that address AIDS prevention, care, treatment and support in India.
Recognizing that providing food security to people living with HIV/AIDS and TB is critical to reduce the impact of the diseases, the MOU states that “NACO and WFP are committed to cooperate in the development and implementation of comprehensive plans for reaching more people in the prevention, mitigation, care and support for those infected, affected, or vulnerable to HIV/AIDS through food-based interventions.”
“The MOU between the WFP and the National AIDS Control Organisation is a massive leap forward in ensuring nutritional care and support to people living with HIV/AIDS. Collaborating to make food and nutrition-based interventions the very core of all prevention and treatment strategies adopted and implemented to mitigate the physical impacts of HIV/AIDS on individuals will help reverse the tidal wave of the epidemic in India”, said Mr. James Morris, Executive Director, UN-World Food Programme.
Under the terms of the agreement, innovative employment opportunities will be created for the first time for people living with HIV/AIDS. WFP will provide technical assistance on ways to integrate food into livelihood opportunities for people living with HIV/AIDS to compensate for their loss of jobs or income because of sickness or discrimination.
NACO and WFP will also collaborate in developing, identifying and incorporating nutrition messages in HIV communications for the general public, school and college students, and grassroot healthworkers.
Under the agreement, technical expertise will also be provided on the type, ration, and management of food rations to be used for the nutrition programme. Ways will also be identified to convert India’s surplus cereal stock into nutritious products for vulnerable groups such as infants, orphans and pregnant women. WFP will also help NACO in identifying suitable nutritional products for persons at various levels in the progression of HIV/AIDS.
NACO will mobilize the food requirements under the programme from the Government’s own food stocks.
The collaboration between NACO and WFP will be for an initial period of three years, with the cost of activities borne jointly by NACO and WFP.
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