Psychologists, social workers, medical personnel and other employees of four social bureaus in Ukraine gathered for the three-day training Conducting Voluntary Counselling and Testing on HIV with Rapid Tests that AFEW-Ukraine conducted on June 7-9.
“This training was useful because we had a closer look at the regulatory framework in the field of HIV testing, in particular in the work with minors because this procedure always caused many questions,” says Alina, the social worker from Kharkiv. “Besides, it was useful to get the information about personal and professional risks of HIV infection, what to do if such situation happens, and now everything is clear. The session of practical training in the development of pre- and post-test counselling skills has been a pleasure for me. The trainers showed what mistakes a counselor can make during counselling and how to avoid them.”
The aim of the training was to provide the participants with the knowledge and skills on the methodology of counselling related to HIV testing with rapid tests. During three days, the trainers focused on the overview of the HIV epidemic in the world and in Ukraine, aetiology, epidemiology, diagnostics, ways of HIV transmission. Stigma and discrimination, the impact of stigma on the epidemic, legal framework of HIV/AIDS, key elements of ethical and effective HIV counselling practices, pre- and post-test counselling were also discussed during the training.
The training was held within the framework of the project ‘Bridging the Gaps: Health and Rights for Key Populations’ with the financial support of Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In August, AFEW-Ukraine plans to hold a coordination meeting for regional partners to plan the next ‘Bridging the Gaps’ project year.
