News

During the regional seminar-meeting held on 6-7 June in Almaty, Central Asian nongovernmental organizations established a network of partner organizations to address issues of labour migration and tuberculosis. The participants accepted draft Memorandum of cooperation between non-profit organizations to reduce the prevalence and incidence of tuberculosis among migrant workers in the countries of the region.

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. 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.

AFEW International has reached out to organizations and networks in Eastern Europe and Central Asia with the request to sign the support letter for re-appointment of Michel Kazatchkine as United Nations Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. His contract/mandate as UN special envoy on HIV/AIDS for Eastern Europe and Central Asia ends on 30 June.

Harm Reduction International’s data shows that since 2014, no new countries have established needle and syringe programmes (NSP) and just three have introduced opioid substitution therapy (OST). Of 158 countries where injecting drug use is reported, over half (78) do not offer OST and more than a third (68) still do not provide NSP. In 2015, a UN target to halve HIV transmission among people who inject drugs by 2015 was missed by more than 80%.

Last week the photo exhibition ‘Life in the Shadow’ was brought to the Netherlands by public Foundation ‘AIDS Foundation East-West in Kazakhstan.’ It was possible to see the images of people affected by HIV and tuberculosis during Wolfheze workshops in the Hague on 31 May – 2 June. The main goal of the exhibition is to reduce stigma and discrimination against people with HIV and tuberculosis.

At the end of March, the photo exhibition ‘Life in the Shadow’ dedicated to the World Tuberculosis Day took place in Almaty. AIDS Foundation East-West in Kazakhstan organized this event. The exhibition featured photos of people affected by HIV and tuberculosis. Today we will tell the stories of some of them.