Ecbp had an important presence in the Great Run. 350 staff members and ecbp friends ran together, showing their involvement on such an important occasion.
Among the ecbp participants, Eckart Bode, Manager of Personal and M&E, waved a self-made placard drawing runners attention to the actual situation of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. The rate at which the infection is spreading in Ethiopia is alarming: according to Ministry of Health estimates, about 2 million adults and 200,000 children are currently infected with HIV/AIDS. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS among the Ethiopian urban and rural population is estimated at 12.6% and 2.6%, respectively, with an average of 6.1% of blood donors being analysed as HIV positive.
Ecbp is also working in the fight against HIV, helping to support the Ethiopian Strategic Plan (2004-2008) which requires “mainstreaming HIV/AIDS prevention and control efforts into the core program of all public, non-public and private development partners.”