The 37th Global Fund board meeting is set to open tomorrow in Kigali and will serve as a platform to learn about Rwanda’s innovative approaches towards community health and the motivation of Community Health Workers, officials said.

The two-day meeting will attract members of the Global Fund from across the globe.

Speaking to The New Times yesterday, the Minister for Health, Dr Diane Gashumba, said Rwanda is happy to host the meeting that would act as an important platform for both Rwanda and the Global Fund.

"We are grateful to be one of the leading implementers of grants supported by the Global Fund. This will be a good opportunity to interact with the Global Fund Board Members and to help advocate for an improved partnership between the Global Fund, the Government of Rwanda, civil society, and the private sector,” she said.

Norbert Hauser, the Chair of the Global Fund Board, said they are honoured that Rwanda agreed to host the board meeting of the Global Fund, a reflection of the joint commitment to public health.

"Rwanda has shown exceptional leadership by investing in the health of its people, and Rwanda is one of the leading implementers of grants supported by the Global Fund partnership,”

Activities will include Global Fund Board meeting to be attended by about 250 delegates as well as site visits during which board members will interact with health practitioners at the district level and to identify the types of approaches that could be adopted in other contexts.

The Global Fund Board meets twice a year. It meets once each year in Geneva, Switzerland, where the organisation is based, and once in a country where it supports grants.

Rwanda is this year’s host of the meeting because it is among the countries supported by Global Fund that have been praised for effective use of Global Fund grants to significantly reduce malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/Aids.

Programmes in Rwanda that are supported by the Fund have achieved impressive results, according to the Ministry of Health.

This is includes antiretroviral therapy for HIV for 175,000 people; more than 36,000 smear-positive cases of TB detected and treated; and more than 18.1 million insecticide-treated nets to protect families from malaria.

The Global Fund provides funding for programmes on AIDS, TB and malaria in a three-year cycle. For the three-year period that began on 1 January 2017, the Global Fund allocated US$210 million to Rwanda.

Meanwhile, in the company of the State Minister in charge of Public Health and Primary Health Care, Patrick Ndimubanzi, the delegates yesterday paid a visit to Kigali Genocide Gisozi memorial site to pay respects to Genocide victims.

Marijke Wijnroks, Chief of Staff, Global Fund, appreciated Rwanda’s resilience, citing the enormous development it has so far achieved despite the tragedy it exprienced just over 20 years ago.

"I am deeply moved by the history of Rwanda, we all know the horrible things and the tragedy that took place twenty three years ago but for me it is a testimony of the resilience of Rwanda, how they have managed to rebuild the society and to work towards peace,” Wijnroks said.

"We are proud that the Global Fund delegates decided to come and visit us in this time when we are commemorating our people we lost in the Genocide. We really appreciate the good relations we enjoy with the Global Fund,” Ndimubanzi said.

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