Four activists representing networks of women living with HIV in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan travelled to Saint Petersburg, Russia to learn about building relationships and cooperation with state authorities and businesses to promote the interests of women with HIV and explore fundraising opportunities. The study tour took place August 24-26 and was organised by AFEW-Kazakhstan in the framework of its UN Women project on building the capacity of women living with HIV.
The study tour idea emerged at a needs assessment meeting of the local networks in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. To fill this gap, AFEW-Kazakhstan started to look for an organisation that had a good track record in human rights defense and promotion of the interests of women living with HIV. In addition, it was important that this organisation had extensive experience in providing support and development to community-based organisations. The multifaceted experience of “E.V.A” network in Saint Petersburg was just right.
A number of visits to local NGOs, among them “E.V.A.”, “Doctors to Children”, “Silver rose” Association of sex-workers and their supporters – helped the study tour participants understand the organisational structure of the network, principles and models of successful cooperation with public authorities and businesses.
With the help of “E.V.A.,” the women from Kazakhstan and Tajikistan developed internal policies and a code of ethics for their own organisations. Additionally, they developed a list of pharmaceutical companies and other businesses to send letters of interest. In the coming weeks, AFEW-Kazakhstan will hold an autumn school with a series of training sessions for a larger number of participants from local networks of women living with HIV.
