AIDS Foundation East West

As of January 2009, there were 9 618 HIV cases officially registered in Belarus leading experts in the region estimate that there may be as many 19 000 people living with HIV in the country. Until 2004, the majority of new cases had been registered among injecting drug users. Furthermore, a fact-finding mission carried out by AFEW in 2003 found that very limited access to international financial resources and technical assistance for HIV prevention activities existed in the country.

In order to address the needs of injecting drug users in Belarus and to strengthen the response to the burgeoning HIV epidemic in the country, AFEW extended the reach of its programming through the initiation of the Harm Reduction Training & Technical Support Programme in Belarus, a four-year project funded by the Matra Programme.

This project is aimed at improving HIV prevention services for Belarusian injecting drug users and, thus, reducing the spread and impact of the HIV epidemic in Belarus.

By the end of the project cycle, select non-governmental and governmental organisations will be able to develop, implement and evaluate sustainable, accessible and effective harm reduction and needle exchange programmes for injecting drug users in Belarus. To support these agencies, a regional harm reduction training centre and a national harm reduction network will have been created. 

AFEW’s activities will specifically focus on the following:

• The creation of a national harm reduction network.

• The establishment of a professional training centre to support non-governmental and governmental organisations.

• Improving the knowledge and skills of harm reduction specialists through on-site training seminars, site visits to related projects in other regions, and the provision of technical assistance, all of which are guided by training needs assessments.

Ultimately, AFEW’s activities will contribute to preventing the further spread of HIV among injecting drug users, and improving access to quality services from non-governmental harm reduction and needle exchange projects. Effective harm reduction tools will include outreach work, peer education and the distribution of informational materials appropriate for the specific target audiences.

As of November 2008, this Matra-funded AFEW project transferred knowledge and new skills to 211 healthcare professionals and NGO personnel through 11 training seminars, and over 30 000 educational materials have been distributed through harm reduction projects across the country. Furthermore, 40 Belarusian professionals took part in a study tour to the Netherlands, Ukraine and Macedonia, and a team of 15 professionals were trained and will continue to provide training to other professionals in the country on harm reduction strategies after the project cycle.