Press Release: President Clinton Announces Efforts to Prevent Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia

President Clinton also visits a “solar village” inspired by the Clinton Global Initiative.

Today, Former President Bill Clinton completed his visit to Ethiopia where he announced new projects to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV/AIDS in more than six countries, including Ethiopia. In front of a large crowd at the Godino Health Center in Debre Zeit, President Clinton discussed PMTCT and other new efforts by the Clinton Foundation to expand rural health care in Ethiopia.

“Every time I visit Ethiopia, I am amazed at the progress being made, and reminded of how much more we all can do,” President Clinton said. “This year, I am excited to announce that we are taking our work to the next level with new projects that will help turn the tide of HIV/AIDS, improve lives, and empower more people to achieve their dreams.”

Today in the developing world, fewer than 20 percent of women have access to full PMTCT services, and without treatment or access to alternative feeding methods, there is a 20 to 45 percent chance that disease transmission will occur through pregnancy or breastfeeding. Over the next three years, the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI) will work with governments and local partners in at least six countries across Asia and Africa, including Ethiopia, to dramatically reduce HIV/AIDS transmission rates by providing prevention, care, and treatment services at all stages of pregnancy and early infancy.

In Ethiopia, PMTCT services are one component of a larger initiative by the Clinton Foundation and the Government of Ethiopia to expand rural health care. President Clinton today announced the launch of CHAI's Ethiopian Millennium Rural Initiative, through which the Clinton Foundation will assist the Ethiopian Government in establishing 50 health centers that will provide treatment and care of HIV/AIDS and malaria, and recruit, train, and deploy health care workers. With a population of nearly 80 million people, Ethiopia currently has only one health center for every 120,000 people, many with unreliable running water and electricity. In addition, 85 percent of Ethiopians live in rural areas, creating additional challenges in the delivery of high-quality primary health care and HIV/AIDS services.

During another stop in Ethiopia, President Clinton visited the rural community of Rema, the first “solar village” in Ethiopia. After making a Commitment to Action at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in 2006, the Solar Energy Foundation and its partner Good Energies, Inc. installed 1,100 solar panels on the roofs of huts in Rema, generating electricity for more than 5,500 people and making it one of the largest solar projects in East Africa. The electricity generated by the panels is enabling expansion of educational opportunities through a night school, strengthening health care by ensuring medicines can be refrigerated, and improving eyesight for villagers, among many other benefits. Currently, only one percent of people in rural Ethiopia have access to electricity, and with grid technology decades away, solar power and other alternative sources of energy can improve lives across the developing world.

President Clinton will continue his trip tomorrow by visiting Clinton Foundation projects that are strengthening agriculture in Rwanda and expanding access to effective malaria medicines in Liberia. Follow the trip online at www.clintonfoundation.org/africa.

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