FHI - Programs

FHI staff members assisted governments, local authorities, and non-governmental organizations in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the Russian cities of Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg, to design, implement, and sustain HIV/AIDS prevention and care programs.

To help achieve the goals of the action plan, the work in the region aimed to:

Expand effective and sustainable HIV prevention programs for injection drug users (IDUs) to achieve a minimum of 60% coverage.
Expand and focus STI prevention and care programs for vulnerable populations.
Extend a comprehensive and sustainable health promotion program for young people, particularly vulnerable populations.

Network of Excellence

The Baltic Sea Network of Excellence (NofEx) project was designed to respond to the expressed needs of a range of key HIV/AIDS/STI program implementers. The project was launched at a stakeholders' consensus-building workshop in Lithuania in March 2001. Based on the workshop results, a Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) was established that year with elected representatives from key stakeholders as well as regional donors.

The RAC met twice a year since its inception to discuss progress on the project, identify priority needs, and foster linkages and regional collaboration among the Baltic countries. The RAC also served as a forum for addressing particular technical needs, such as updated guidelines for HIV/AIDS programming. Additionally, RAC members disseminated information to local-level government and NGOs within their constituencies.

FHI appointed a project director and established a local office in Lithuania to lead the management of the project. For fifteen months FHI also supported the position of International Technical Advisor (ITA) on HIV/AIDS to the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), a body representing the Nordic countries of the BSAP that also funds prevention activities in the region.

This regional project:

Provided direct support to country- and local-level HIV/AIDS prevention activities through a series of small grants and capacity-building technical assistance.
Assessed existing capacity for a regional knowledge management system, which will include disseminating information and developing and sharing regional best practice toolkits.

Sample of Site-Specific Projects

Lithuania

Information dissemination/Youth: FHI assisted in strengthening of the Lithuanian AIDS Center's Information Technology capacity and publishing electronic bulletins and a magazine/journal for youth.

Youth/IDUs: FHI supported the Klaipeda Municipality and the Klaipeda Drug and AIDS Prevention Group's efforts to sponsor a youth leisure center focused on youth drug prevention, harm reduction, and rehabilitation.

Latvia

Youth and IDU projects: FHI supported the development of peer education materials and curricula to reach and mobilize at-risk youth, and support the Soros Foundation's ongoing harm reduction outreach work in and outside of Riga.

Estonia

Youth projects: FHI supported the Estonian Anti-AIDS Association and the NGO Living for Tomorrow in providing workshops and trainings for youth with special emphasis on drug users and at-risk populations.

Commercial sex workers: FHI supported the AIDS Information and Support Center's services for sex workers, including voluntary testing and counseling for HIV, treatment of STDs, and outreach work.

St. Petersburg

IDUs: FHI supported the St. Petersburg Pasteur Institute in bringing together three harm reduction bus services and fostering a referral network to reintegrate IDUs into the public health system.

Kaliningrad

Youth/IDUs/commercial sex workers: FHI supported the Kaliningrad Regional AIDS Center's ongoing health systems responses. We also helped to establish a youth center for vulnerable youth and facilitated the building of referral links to ongoing public health and NGO services.