[A pioneer in the fight against AIDS in Nigeria].

The Association MVS (French acronym for Mieux Vivre avec le Sida) founded by a physician in Niger in 1994 was the first entity to provide medical and psychological care to symptomatic HIV-infected patients from Niger as well as neighboring countries (Nigeria, Burkina Faso). It has often been at the forefront by offering voluntary screening, undertaking patient management as early as 1998, decentralizing in 2003, and setting up a innovative training facility. Despite these achievements and a solid reputation for excellence in Niger, the Association MVS receives practically no government funding with state subsidies accounting for only 1% of the budget in the last two years.