Indonesian wins UNDP award

Indonesian wins UNDP award

JAKARTA: Activist Achmad Ramadhan was named one of the winners
of the Poverty Eradication 2003 award from the United Nations
Development Program (UNDP) over the weekend.

The UNDP, in its release sent to The Jakarta Post said that
Achmad won the award for his active role in fighting against
HIV/AIDS in North Sumatra.

Aside from Achmad, this year's Poverty Eradication award also
went to Helen Ditsebe-Mhone of Botswana, Lydia Shouleva of
Bulgaria, Jimmy Bhojedat of Guyana and Asma Khader of Jordan.

UNDP Administrator Mark Malloch Brown conferred the award on
Achmad, who is also a lecturer at the Medan Institute of Islamic
Studies (IAIN), at the UN Headquarters in New York on Oct. 29.

Through IAIN's North Sumatra HIV/AIDS information and
counseling center called Lathiva, Achmad forged cooperation with
some fifty Muslim organizations in enhancing people's
understanding on HIV/AIDS and drug abuse.

Achmad, according to UNDP, succeeded in mobilizing volunteers,
especially women, in reaching out to the public at large.

UNDP's Poverty Eradication award is given to individuals
considered active in mobilizing the people to achieve the
Millennium Development Goals. --JP