A pharmaceutical giant's gift of $100 million to five African countries may be rejected by South African officials, the Cape Town Cape Argus reports.
South African officials are not ready to accept their part of Bristol-Myers Squibb's five-year, $100 million commitment the drug manufacturer announced last month to fund an ambitious HIV/AIDS project in five African countries, the Cape Argus reports.
The drug maker proposed funding for research trials, community HIV/AIDS programs and training in public health and AIDS for public health workers and more than 200 physicians.
But advisors to South African Health Minister Nkosazana Zuma said the government has found four areas of concern with Bristol-Myers Squibb's offer.
In dispute is the company's plan to send South African doctors to the U.S. for training instead of another African country; plans to finance certain trials, which need to be approved by the government to determine relevancy to South Africa; preclinical studies that need approval from the Medicines Control Council; and community outreach programs tailored to home-based health care.
A variety of other grants have been reported by groups nationwide:
The Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University has received 110 drawings from 17th-century Dutch artists that are believed to be worth up to $20 million, the New York Times Reports. The drawings are from the private collection of Maida and George Abrams of Newton, Mass.
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation's "A Night to Unite" event at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., raised $2 million for AIDS research, the Washington Post reports. The dinner, on June 22, commemorated the foundation's 10th anniversary.
Educational software developer Edmark, a subsidiary of IBM, and the liquid foods packaging company, Tetra Pak, are teaming up to provide an estimated $2 million worth of software to schools throughout the U.S. Through the program, called eCarton, students will see a special panel on milk cartons devoted to educational puzzles and themes. Schools that collect the cartons will receive credits towards the purchase of Edmark projects.
Also, The Bernadin Center for Theology and Ministry received a $1.2 million Lilly Endowment award from The Catholic Theological Union based in Hyde Park, the Chicago Sun Times reports. The award will help Bernadin Center continue its mission of preparing future church leaders through scholarships and training.
A $1 million grant from the First Union Regional Foundation will help hundreds of elementary school teachers in three states become trained in early childhood literacy provided by the Children's Literacy Initiative. Teachers in low-income neighborhoods in Delaware, New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania will benefit from the training.
