Briarcliff Rotary to Support AIDSfreeAFRICA

The Ossining humanitarian organization AIDSfreeAFRICA will receive a grant from the Briarcliff Manor Rotary Club on Friday. AIDSfreeAFRICA is a nonprofit organization that works towards increasing the production of pharmaceuticals in Africa.

Ossining resident Rolande Hodel started the organization in 2005. That year, she visited Kenya and Cameroon for the first time. In June 2010, U.S. Embassy officials introduced Hodel to representatives from the company Cinpharm. Hodel worked with Cinpharm to begin producing generic essential drugs in Cameroon. Those essential drugs include antibiotics, antifungals, pain killers and IV fluids.

In October 2010, the organization's efforts became a reality. Hodel’s nonprofit is now working to keep production going. Cinpharm and AIDSfreeAFRICA have run into many obstacles, including the fact that Cameroon has no infrastructure to support drug production. Another issue is that all of the parts for the drug-producing equipment and the chemicals for the drugs must be acquired from other countries.

AIDSfreeAFRICA is also working on increasing drug access in rural areas.

“If you live in the big cities you can pretty much get drugs. But as soon as you leave the five big cities in Cameroon the access to medicine becomes really difficult,” explained Hodel.

The key issue is transportation, she added, explaining while rural residents may be able to afford a drug, it can cost to much to get a ride to one of the big cities where the drugs are.

While AIDSfreeAFRICA focuses its efforts on essential drugs, organizations such as The Global Fund focus on providing the AIDS drug Triomune.

“The Fund was created by many countries, especially America and Europe, to collect donations and to buy these drugs. Former President Bush’s United State’s President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) is part of The Global Fund,” said Hodel.

To learn more about AIDSfreeAFRICA, click here. If you would like to donate AIDSfreeAFRICA, click here.