Togolese NGOs warned on Tuesday that the end of a grant by the Global Fund against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria could put at least 24,000 HIV-infected people at risk.

"It's a complete disaster, we're distraught," said Augustin Dokla, president of the main local network of NGOs for people living with AIDS in Togo. "Some 18,000 people are waiting for drugs and 6,000 patients will be at risk within two years. No new treatments are available as for today."

The Global Fund, the main donor for antiretroviral (ARV) treatment in Togo, last January halted one out of two, three-year HIV grants amounting US $15.5 million, citing “irregularities” in the management of the funding by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

"The Global Fund has said that it would not renew this grant because of the quality of the data provided," Rosine Coulibaly, the UNDP resident representative in Lome, told IRIN by phone. The UN agency was appointed principal recipient of the Fund’s comprehensive HIV/AIDS programme grant, which focused on prevention and treatment services in 2003.

Discrepancies noted

Coulibaly noted that a financial audit conducted early this year showed "no mistakes coming from the agency”.

She said that the Fund complained that a gap of 20 percent between the progress indicators and the results went beyond the accepted difference of five percent.

"Nothing dramatic has been revealed, but it seems that the Fund provided wrong data at the start of the program," she said. "It should not affect people in need of assistance."

Coulibaly said that the delivery of ARVs to Cote d’Ivoire fuelled the Fund's doubts on the management of the grant. The ARVs were supposed to stay in Togo.

"The results of the first period were not good and [the first period] ended in September before we could sign the renewal of the grant and the launch of the second phase," said a source at the Global Fund’s headquarters in Geneva.

Some US $11.5 million has been released so far, while US $14.2 million was initially planned.

"Togo may have access to the continuation of the services and treatments during two years and the Fund will work with the authorities in order to get more financial partners on board," said the source, who requested anonymity.

He said no newly infected patients would be accepted.

Essential concerns

The Fund provides ARV treatment, which helps improve quality of life, to some 3,500 patients; international and local NGOs take care of 3,000 other patients while 18,000 HIV-infected people are still waiting for the ARVs.

Activists warned that most of the programmes aimed to support those who are HIV-positive were now at risk, as the Global Fund was the main donor.

"We worked two out of the three years as no funds came in since January 2006. We had to halt most of the Global Fund-funded programs this year," said Marc Mondji, whose NGO, the Action Committee for International Cooperation and Youth Blossoming (CACIEJ), provides treatment to orphans and people living with AIDS in Togo.

Mondji said that programmes providing nutritional assistance, support, testing and counseling became scarcer as the resources ran low.

Hotlines, opened in 2005 and 2006 to help people understand the disease, closed this year because of a critical lack of money, he added.

"Our main concern now is how to supply food, assistance and ARV treatment to people living with AIDS. We receive new patients in need of treatment every day," Mondji said.

New opportunities

With a GDP around US $310 per capita and decreasing foreign aid over the last 10 years, Togo has little capacity to counter the HIV epidemic by its own means.

The government offers US $291,000 per year to the fight against AIDS but it is a marginal contribution compared with the West African country's needs, Mondji said.

The national prevalence of HIV is estimated at six percent for the entire population of 4.5 million with some regions reaching 8.2 percent prevalence among specific target populations, UNDP said.

According to the Global Fund, Togo would not get access to new grants approved in Guatemala City last week. The Board approved a sixth round of 85 grants to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria totaling US $847 million.

The source at the Fund said that Togo could have a chance to get funding from the seventh round, expected within four months, and the following rounds.

"New opportunities now exist to relaunch the cooperation between the authorities and their partners," said the source. "All the requirements are met today to boost our relationships and to help the country to continue taking care of ARV-treated patients."