14 Apr 2003

New Cook Islands Aids Foundation to send message to region

10:42 am on 14 April 2003

The Administrations officer for the newly established Pacific Islands Aids Foundation in the Cook Islands Ana File, says their role will be to ensure that the message about HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases is spread throughout the region.

The Cook Islands office was set up in January, bringing to three the number of offices in the region with one each in Tahiti and Fiji.

Ms File says while most of their programmes will be developed in Rarotonga, it will service the whole region.

"Mostly we'll be doing preventive messages in Raro and the Cook Islands but we will also be doing a lot of programmes in the rest of the Pacific. So it's not just the Cook Islands, its the Pacific Islands AIDS Foundation."

The Cook Islands Pacific Islands Aids Foundation will be launched in Fiji in June.