Bon voyage Mr Bush
Editor
Daily News; Tuesday,February 19, 2008 @18:01
TANZANIANS were left with nostalgic feelings as Air Force One, the official plane of the President of the United States, took off from Terminal One of the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam today.
They had good reasons to feel that way. During his four-day stay in the country, President George W. Bush endeared himself to many Tanzanians and proved that he is a friend in need and thus, a friend indeed.
On Sunday, President Bush signed 698 million-dollar Millennium Challenge Compact with Tanzania, a deal which will help this country to reduce poverty and stimulate economic growth through infrastructure investments in transport, energy and water. This grant is the largest in the history of the programme.
The US leader also announced that his country and Tanzania, in partnership with the World Bank and the Global Fund, plan to distribute 5.2 million free bed nets in Tanzania in six months, which is enough to provide a net for every child between the ages of one and five.
On Sunday, Bush signed 698 million-dollar Millennium Challenge Compact with Tanzania, a deal that will help the latter to reduce poverty and stimulate economic growth through infrastructure investments in transport, energy and water.
This grant is the largest in the history of the programme. President Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has given shape and hope to the fight against HIV/AIDS in 13 focus countries in Africa, including Tanzania, and two outside the continent. Tatu Msangi, a single Tanzanian mother, took the story of the success of PEPFAR to Congress during a State of the Union address last month.
She is a living testimony of just how, through PEPFAR, the Bush administration has saved a life deep in a remote African village. Msangi testified how despite living with HIV, she received the necessary counselling and Nevirapine (medication) during her pregnancy, and subsequently delivered a bouncing HIV-free baby girl.
That is just one example of how PEPFAR has benefited its recipients. In Tanzania, Mr Bush and his wife Laura felt at home everywhere they visited. The president hugged everybody near him, including expecting mothers, traditional Maasai dancers and children. He joked and shared other light moments with the people, winning many hearts. Bon Voyage President Bush.
http://dailynews.habarileo.co.tz/editorial/?id=3147