The United States president's emergency plan for AIDS relief (PEPFAR) has begun accepting applications from new in-country partners under the new partners initiative (NPI), Zambia Daily Mail reported on Wednesday.

A statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Lusaka on Tuesday was quoted as saying that the NPI will over the next three years provide up to 200 million U.S. dollars in competitive grants in the emergency plan's focus countries for HIV/AIDS prevention and care services.

The NPI seeks to match the emergency plans' resources and efforts with expertise of organizations already making a difference in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, said the statement.

The new initiative encourages well-established organizations in communities and other non-governmental organizations to apply, as they are better placed to reach out to those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, said the statement.

The organizations that have received no more than 5 million dollars in the preceding five years (excluding disaster or emergency assistance funding as a sub-contractor) will also qualify as candidates for the NPI grants, according to the statement.

Interested organizations have been advised to submit their submissions directly to Washington by e-mail, said the statement.

Source: Xinhua