SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 12, 2007 – The Director of the Presidential AIDS Council—COPRESIDA, Dr. Umberto Salazar and the Director of the General Directorate for Control of Sexually Transmitted Infections and AIDS—DIGECITTS, Dr. Angel Almánzar, held high-level meetings with key officials of the Batey Relief Alliance/BRA Dominicana to discuss cooperation between the three institutions to fight the country’s HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis more effectively.

Represented the BRA were Nexcy de León, President, Ulrick Gaillard, Chief Executive, Edilgardo Peña, Treasurer, and Maria Virtudes Berroa, Executive Director.

The BRA, dedicated to human and social advancement of economically disadvantaged people in the Dominican Republic, will contribute US $374,000 through two new projects of multivitamin/deworming and food assistance addressing nutritional needs of 75,000 children and adults, including those suffering from HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis, vulnerable/orphaned children, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups. The COPRESIDA/DIGECITTS, in partnership with the USAID and the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative, supports BRA’s HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment program through technical assistance and training and access to antiretroviral medicines.

“This great support BRA is offering will help us deal with the nutrition that many of our undernourished HIV/AIDS patients need while undergoing antiretroviral therapy or taking potent medicines to fight opportunistic infections, but cannot access due to extreme poverty,” said Dr. Salazar. Gaillard added that the multivitamin/nutrition programs will help improve the quality of life for thousands of HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis sufferers.

For more information about BRA’s HIV/AIDS program, please contact Ulrick Gaillard at (917) 627-5026 or bra@bateyrelief.org.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic. – Two evaluation teams from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and Mailman School of Public Health carried out between 2006 and 2007 an independent process evaluation of the Batey Relief Alliance’s Primary Health Care services, HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment, and Health Promotion programs. The BRA has been providing health and humanitarian services to underserved populations living in impoverished batey, urban and rural communities of the Dominican Republic since 1997.

After ten years, the organization sought to collect critical data and assess organizational and community needs in order to appropriately plan for long-term capacity building and growth. BRA invited the evaluation teams to assess the implication of its program implementation on program effectiveness, the strategic positioning of the organization, the relevance of the programs in the local context, the internal and external factors affecting program effectiveness with regards to the delivery and quality of services, and the sustainability of the program’s systems and results.

The teams found that BRA’s programs are meeting an unmet need for health care in the community and have a very high level of satisfaction among beneficiaries. The same is also echoed by prominent local government and international partners including the USAID/Family Health International, the Canadian Fund, the General Directorate for Control of Sexually Transmitted Infections and AIDS—DIGECITSS, the Presidential AIDS Council—COPRESIDA, the State Sugar Council—CEA, and the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative. Click HERE to view video.

Some key findings found that BRA has greatly improved the batey population’s ability to obtain available health services; 96% of patients are “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with BRA’s services; BRA has an absolute advantage in providing HIV Care and Treatment services in the province of Monte Plata; and BRA has a strong advantage in the provision of health promotion services through numerous volunteer health promoters.

Despite BRA’s relatively well-positioned and competitive work, major obstacles remain for the continuing provision of quality care to beneficiaries, including the rudimentary developmental structures inside the bateyes, the lack of adequate resources to implement key projects and raise the organization’s capacity, and the constant challenge of access to a continuing flow of essential medicines. The teams recommended that BRA develop strategically defined indicators by which it can measure the efficacy of its programming; establish a monitoring and evaluation system that incorporates measurable outcomes; focus on improving existing infrastructure and service delivery; and create a comprehensive long-term strategic plan to support and reinforce the organization’s rapid growth and programs into the next decade.

To help support the humanitarian work of the BRA in the Dominican Republic or/and to receive a copy of this report, please contact Ulrick Gaillard at bra@bateyrelief.org or 917.627.5026. Visit us at www.bateyrelief.org.