AFEW International continues working on improving health services and social support systems that address the needs of Ukrainian PLHIV in Poland!
On July 1-2, as part of the project ‘Ukrainian refugees with HIV living in Poland engaged in HIV policy and practice’, supported by VIIV Healthcare (GIPA Accelerator Fund), AFEW International together with partner organisations Stowarzyszenie Profilaktyki Zdrowotnej “Jeden Świat” and Kampania Przeciw Homofobii conducted 2 trainings in Warsaw for 20 activists from Ukraine.
The first training on “Increasing knowledge and skills in the field of HIV treatment among peer counselors” was conducted by Aleksandra Raczynska, an infectious diseases doctor at the University Hospital in Krakow. The second training session, ‘Introduction to the activities of non-governmental organisations in Poland’, was led by trainer Michal Pawlega, Senior Advocacy and Fundraising Advisor at AFEW International
Vera Varyga, project co-ordinator at AFEW International: ‘Poland currently supports a big number of Ukrainian refugees, some of them are HIV-positive. We want to ensure that community of these people is not left alone in the new environment, we want to involve Ukrainians in the decision-making processes, so that their voices are heard and their expertise is used in practice.
At the current stage of the project, we are doing training for Ukrainian activists who will help Polish organisations to develop new services for Ukrainians with HIV, introduce new community-oriented initiatives in the HIV field, and remove barriers to access to treatment and prevention.
To start with, we want to provide activists with the necessary information about the organisation of services in Poland, to build new skills. This will help them navigate, advocate, advise, and support people in the community of people with HIV. The Programme participants will then be able to develop and implement their initiatives with the support and participation of Polish organisations.
Our training provides also a moral support for our activists. During our two-day event, the participants became very close to each other, and they enjoyed being close to like-minded people and fellow countrymen. We insured that women with children could participate in the training: while mothers were fully involved in the training, children were supervised by a specialist and participated in an interactive programme and a walk around Warsaw”.
AFEW International would like to thank Stowarzyszenie Profilaktyki Zdrowotnej “Jeden Świat” project partners for their support Kampania Przeciw Homofobii, translator Zoriana Samotiy and psychologist Maria Smirnov.
For reference
One of the AFEW International’s strategic directions is Improving resilience of communities and addressing the negative consequences of the crisis in Ukraine and the implications for the entire region. Following this, at the end of March 2023 we launched the Programme of training and mentorship for the Ukrainian refugees living with HIV in Poland. The project’s goal is the expansion of equal and full participation of the Ukrainian refugees with HIV in Polish HIV programmes. It is expected that it will lead to the strengthening of effective, inclusive and responsive programmes and policies, developed with the full participation of all Ukrainian refugees with HIV living in Poland. Under the framework of this project, 6 training sessions are scheduled for the Ukrainian participants (3 online and 3 offline) involving local organisations operating in the field of HIV services, supporting communities like LGBTQ and women living with HIV.
