FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What are AFEW’s main programme streams?
What geographical area do AFEW’s activities cover?
What does ‘East-West engagement’ mean?
What is AFEW’s relationship with MSF?
Where does AFEW get its funding?
Does AFEW accept private donations?
Does AFEW make a profit?
How are project areas chosen?
What are the outputs of AFEW’s work?
Do AFEW projects target only people living with HIV/AIDS?
Is AFEW a religious organisation?
HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care should be a government responsibility: why are organisations like AFEW getting involved?
Does AFEW recruit volunteers?
Does AFEW collaborate with governmental institutions?
What is AFEW’s policy on the proportion of local and foreign staff working on projects?
Why doesn’t AFEW offer individual help to people living with HIV/AIDS?
Can information found in AFEW’s materials be used to create independent publications or training materials?
Can AFEW materials be reprinted?
What are AFEW’s main programme streams?
AFEW’s programme streams in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Mongolia are as follows:
Mass media campaigns on safer sex and solidarity with people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA)
Pre- and post-HIV test counselling
Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
HIV prevention and health promotion among sex workers
Harm reduction training
HIV prevention and health promotion in prisons
HIV prevention and health promotion among men who have sex with men
Client management
HIV-prevention and health promotion among street children
AFEW uses a system of ‘replication’ whereby successful HIV/AIDS interventions are tailored to the specific contexts of the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA). While successful programmes are already in place, AFEW staff work on developing new programmes to address issues that have not yet been dealt with in the fields of HIV prevention, treatment, care and support for PLWHA.
What geographical area do AFEW’s activities cover?
Although AFEW got its start in Russia, it is constantly expanding and now boasts activities and projects in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, and is currently in the process of starting projects in Belarus. AFEW aims to work in all countries in transition that have a significant AIDS problem. Currently, AFEW staff members are exploring the possibility of expanding AFEW’s mission to China.
What does East-West engagement mean?
We believe that the flow of knowledge and expertise between the East and the West is key to attaining success in this field. Our projects aim to apply lessons learned in the West to our regional context so as not to lose time ‘reinventing the wheel’. Similarly, we believe that there is a lot to be gained from experiences in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and we strive to share these experiences with Western experts, researchers and AIDS organisations. The international community still largely considers HIV/AIDS to be a ‘north-south’ issue, focusing most of their efforts on Africa and Southeast Asia. AFEW works hard to raise awareness among Western governments about the urgency of dealing with HIV/AIDS in the East as well, stressing the need to add the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia to the global HIV/AIDS agenda.
What is AFEW’s relationship with MSF?
Médecins Sans Frontières – Holland (MSF-H) has been active in Eastern Europe and Central Asia since 1996. It was one of the first international NGOs to carry out HIV prevention activities in the region. Among other programmes, it implemented strategies designed to help fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in Russia, Ukraine and Mongolia. However, when – in 2001 – it became clear that the HIV/AIDS situation in the region was growing more serious and demanded specialised attention, MSF supported its Moscow team – both logistically and financially – in setting up AIDS Foundation East-West.
Where does AFEW get its funding?
Among AFEW’s donors and sponsors are national and international organisations, business structures and NGOs. The only thing many of these organisations have in common is a feeling of social responsibility and the realisation that HIV/AIDS is a real threat to society as a whole.
Initially, AFEW received funds from the Dutch Government, the Dutch branch of MSF and the Open Society Institute (OSI). But this list has grown considerably in the last five years coming to include The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (SIDA); US Agency for International Development (USAID); Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs to name a few.
AFEW also taken to targeting the international and Russian business communities and has already received contributions from companies such as Unilever, Akzo Nobel, Alfa Bank, Severstal, Chevron-Texaco and Johnson & Johnson.
AFEW has received a ‘Certificate of No Objection’ from the Central Bureau of Fundraising (CBF) of the Netherlands. This document certifies that AFEW is a reliable, quality organisation with high standards and transparent reporting.
For more details, please see the AFEW Annual Report.
Does AFEW accept private donations?
AFEW appreciates any donations for any of its projects. If you wish to make a donation, please visit the
AFEW website for more details.
Does AFEW make a profit?
No. AFEW is not a commercial organisation and therefore does not accrue profit. It is not the ambition of our organisation or our staff to make money. All donations from donors, sponsors, commercial structures, individuals, and any other donating bodies are immediately allocated to specific projects and/or activities. All of AFEW’s financial statements are transparent and open to the public. For more information on AFEW’s finances, please see the AFEW Annual Report.
How are project areas chosen?
All of AFEW’s projects begin with a thorough assessment both of local conditions and of what AFEW has to offer in each given situation. Projects are then planned and implemented based on the results of such assessments in order to better meet the needs of the specific region. AFEW monitors current trends, identifies gaps in interventions, maps out possible responses and takes on programmes to stimulate partners to tackle areas that lie outside of AFEW’s programme reach.
What are the outputs of AFEW’s work?
One major output of AFEW’s activity is the proof – via concrete projects – that best practices from elsewhere around the world can be successfully implemented in the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In addition, while implementing these projects, we hold trainings for our local counterparts and NGOs in order to pass on our knowledge and experiences. We also work with governmental structures in an effort to raise awareness among political officials: it is important to make them understand that stifling the growth of the HIV/AIDS epidemic is in their hands, but they must be willing to make it a political priority.
Do AFEW projects target only people living with HIV/AIDS?
No – people living with HIV/AIDS are not the only ones who need support and information. AFEW projects and informational materials are designed and tailored to the needs of different target groups – this way, we can reach as many different people as possible. These groups include:
(1) medical and non-medical staff who work with PLWHA (i.e. staff of public health institutions, penitentiary systems, and NGOs working in the field of HIV prevention);
(2) the general population, especially youth (i.e. educate the public on HIV prevention; provide accurate information to dispel unjustified fears towards PLWHA);
(3) the so-called ‘high risk groups’ (i.e. injecting drug users, sex workers and men who have sex with men).
This kind of comprehensive approach allows us to tackle the HIV/AIDS epidemic from all sides.
Is AFEW a religious organisation?
There is no religious component to our work: we believe in a pragmatic approach to HIV prevention. AFEW is open and transparent and has a clear organisational structure.
HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care should be a government responsibility: why are organisations like AFEW getting involved?
In its essence, HIV/AIDS truly is the government’s responsibility. However, AFEW has taken on the role of raising awareness by implementing programmes based on lessons learned elsewhere in the world over the last decade. As compared to the rest of the world, the HIV/AIDS epidemic got a relatively late start in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, giving organisations like AFEW a unique window of opportunity to prevent a full-blown national catastrophe like that of Africa. AFEW strives to be on top of national and international trends in effective HIV prevention practices and is therefore in the position to act as an expert in consulting governmental institutions on implementing effective programmes aimed at fighting HIV/AIDS. AFEW also operates as a catalyst, stimulating the government to respond to the epidemic faster and more effectively.
Does AFEW recruit volunteers?
No. AFEW does not recruit volunteers. All AFEW staff are officially employed by the organisation.
Does AFEW collaborate with governmental institutions?
Yes. In all of the countries where AFEW operates, we have established strong working relationships with governmental institutions (i.e. Ministries of Public Health, Ministries of Justice, etc.). Sustaining such relationships is one of the priorities of our work, as it is this collaboration that allows us to effectively transfer best practices to officials.
What is AFEW’s policy on the proportion of local and foreign staff working on projects?
The guiding principle of AFEW’s human resource policy is to create a team of quality professionals. AFEW employs both local and foreign professionals in an effort to gain from their different experiences in different spheres from different parts of the world. AFEW staff share the organisation’s views and global aims. For more detailed information about the percentage of local and foreign staff working at AFEW, please see the AFEW Annual Report.
Why doesn’t AFEW offer individual help to people living with HIV/AIDS?
Although we realise the need for individual assistance, AFEW’s role in fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic does not allow for such personalised support. AFEW helps PLWHA less directly by training and building the capacity of organisations and professionals that work with them on an individual level. We welcome, train and support organisations that strive to offer individual help for people affected by HIV/AIDS. AFEW also takes on an advocacy role, lobbying for change in governmental health and social structures so that the state can better serve their needs.
Can information found in AFEW’s materials be used to create independent publications or training materials?
All of our materials are available on the AFEW website and we encourage you to use them. All we ask is that, if you use our information, please be so kind as to credit AIDS Foundation East-West in your materials (i.e. reference or footnote).
Can AFEW materials be reprinted?
We encourage reprints both within and outside of AFEW. However, we do ask that the requesting organisation sign an agreement stating that we will be informed of any changes made to the materials (note: we understand that minor changes are inevitable in most cases, as the context in which other organisations work may differ from ours). The agreement states that AFEW staff must approve the final version before it goes to print – just a quick technical check-up. We also ask the requesting organisation to send us several copies of the material after it is issued.
AFEW:
