Four-year Project to Establish Sustainable HIV Prevention Services for Vulnerable Populations

DECEMBER 2007 – The Drosos Foundation has awarded FHI a four-year agreement to build the capacity of Waay, a local NGO, to reduce the transmission of HIV among most-at-risk populations. The project will conduct prevention activities among injecting drug users (IDUs) and provide comprehensive care to people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

In partnership with Waay, the project will facilitate early detection and treatment by coupling street-based outreach for IDUs with voluntary HIV counseling and testing (VCT). A newly established comprehensive care center will provide HIV/AIDS prevention and care messages, peer-education, individual and group counseling, anonymous HIV testing, basic medical care, and needs-based referrals. Timely information on where to seek services and strong referral linkages among service partners will ensure a continuum of care and maximize available care and support resources.

VCT is one of the entry points to care and treatment programs and a powerful force for prevention activities. Individuals who test negative are motivated to retain this status, change risky behaviors, and maintain protective behaviors. For those identified as HIV-positive, VCT offers counseling on reducing high-risk behaviors, which is crucial to arresting the spread of the virus.

Successful testing and prevention activities depend on the availability of care and treatment services. And the combination of prevention, testing, treatment, and support services allows for early detection and management of the disease for HIV-infected individuals.

The program will result in the expansion of HIV prevention among IDUs and improved quality of life among people infected or affected by HIV/AIDS in Egypt. FHI is well placed to execute it, having implemented the first successful street-based outreach program for IDUs and the first anonymous VCT site in Egypt—and perhaps the first in the entire Middle East.