July 22, 2009 | Read Time: 1 minute
In response to a recent Forbes magazine article that criticized the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s work to fight HIV/AIDS in India, the foundation says the story had “significant errors and mischaracterizes key aspects of the initiative.”
In a letter to the editor, Tachi Yamada, the fund’s president of global health, defended the India program, known as Avahan. He writes that the article inaccurately stated that the program is winding down — Gates has extended its commitment to 2014 — and that Forbes misstated the program’s goals.
In addition, Mr. Yamada disagreed with the article’s claim that Avahan has made no significant headway to curb HIV/AIDS. “
While it is too early to fully assess Avahan’s long-term impact,” he writes, “early signs are encouraging — data from some projects suggest these efforts are increasing condom use and reducing STD infections.”
Some nonprofit experts, like New Philanthropy Capital, in London, have questioned the Forbes article, while others, like the anonymous author of the Gates Keepers blog, support the critical look at Gates.
What do you think of the criticism of Avahan?
