Trust points make an inpact on HIV/AIDS prevention in Uzbekistan
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The HIV/AIDS Prevention Program of
World Vision Uzbekistan has at its center the installation of Trust Points which enable most at risk populations to have access to HIV/AIDS prevention services. Trust Point services aim to change
risky behavior among people at risk in order to prevent further infections and/or transmission of HIV/AIDS.
Those who are most at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS include intravenous drug users, sex workers, men who have sex with men and others whose behavior and practices expose them to a higher risk of HIV infection.
Trust Points are anonymous rooms in polyclinics that are staffed with trained personnel to facilitate services such as counseling, legal advice, referrals for specialized treatment and rehabilitation, blood and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) testing, syringes and needles exchange, condom distribution, and peer-to-peer education for promotion of safe behavior. Trust Points also promote HIV/AIDS, STI and drug awareness through mass media campaigns, outreach activities, partnership building, and the distribution of Information Education Communication (IEC) materials.
'One of our main tasks is to teach proper use of syringes. If a person is unable to quit injecting intravenous drugs, that person should at least protect themself and those around from contracting HIV/AIDS', says Trust Point social worker Ruslan Remetov, a doctor specializing in infectious diseases. He adds, 'There is a wrong belief that only HIV/AIDS can be transmitted through a shared syringe. In reality, there is a risk of contracting hepatitis, syphilis, tuberculosis, even meningitis, which kills in three to four days.'
If a client expresses desire to quit drug use, the person gets counseling and psychological support in the Trust Points and can be referred to the City Narcology Center. World Vision has a partnership agreement with the center whereby, upon presentation of a voucher, the client can obtain detox services free of charge. Providing individual, group, and family counseling services gives the drug users an opportunity to define their own goals, evaluate their own abilities for behavior change, and develop an individual treatment plan in collaboration with the specialists.
Trust Points establishes self-support groups, where drug users can share in a friendly atmosphere. In these spaces, drug users begin to understand they are not alone and their problem is not a unique one. The groups are lead by a psychologist or a social worker who provides rehabilitation assistance and psychotherapy.
Trust Points also function to educate the community on how to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS and the stigma associated with it.
'We conduct seminars and round tables for the districts' administration, including the mayor, heads of police, and public prosecutors who then pass acquired knowledge down their respective hierarchies,' says Trust Point Assistant Boris Shepelev.
'Before there was a widespread opinion that an HIV/AIDS-positive person should be placed in a hospital, like in a prison. Now there is an understanding that anyone can be HIV-positive,' says another Trust Point Assistant Elena Devyatova.
Trust Points have been launched in Tashkent by World Vision Uzbekistan in 2004 and proved successful both in the area of HIV/AIDS prevention and education of the population. Trust Points are currently serving about 2,000 people at risk of HIV/AIDS in Tashkent City, which is about 10% coverage of the city's total estimated at risk population. By 2009, World Vision Uzbekistan intends to reach 7,200 people at risk in Tashkent City.
Artur, an injecting drug user living with HIV says, 'Trust Point is a place where I won't be rejected, where I can get real help and I don't feel lonely.'
Those who are most at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS include intravenous drug users, sex workers, men who have sex with men and others whose behavior and practices expose them to a higher risk of HIV infection.
Trust Points are anonymous rooms in polyclinics that are staffed with trained personnel to facilitate services such as counseling, legal advice, referrals for specialized treatment and rehabilitation, blood and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) testing, syringes and needles exchange, condom distribution, and peer-to-peer education for promotion of safe behavior. Trust Points also promote HIV/AIDS, STI and drug awareness through mass media campaigns, outreach activities, partnership building, and the distribution of Information Education Communication (IEC) materials.
'One of our main tasks is to teach proper use of syringes. If a person is unable to quit injecting intravenous drugs, that person should at least protect themself and those around from contracting HIV/AIDS', says Trust Point social worker Ruslan Remetov, a doctor specializing in infectious diseases. He adds, 'There is a wrong belief that only HIV/AIDS can be transmitted through a shared syringe. In reality, there is a risk of contracting hepatitis, syphilis, tuberculosis, even meningitis, which kills in three to four days.'
If a client expresses desire to quit drug use, the person gets counseling and psychological support in the Trust Points and can be referred to the City Narcology Center. World Vision has a partnership agreement with the center whereby, upon presentation of a voucher, the client can obtain detox services free of charge. Providing individual, group, and family counseling services gives the drug users an opportunity to define their own goals, evaluate their own abilities for behavior change, and develop an individual treatment plan in collaboration with the specialists.
Trust Points establishes self-support groups, where drug users can share in a friendly atmosphere. In these spaces, drug users begin to understand they are not alone and their problem is not a unique one. The groups are lead by a psychologist or a social worker who provides rehabilitation assistance and psychotherapy.
Trust Points also function to educate the community on how to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS and the stigma associated with it.
'We conduct seminars and round tables for the districts' administration, including the mayor, heads of police, and public prosecutors who then pass acquired knowledge down their respective hierarchies,' says Trust Point Assistant Boris Shepelev.
'Before there was a widespread opinion that an HIV/AIDS-positive person should be placed in a hospital, like in a prison. Now there is an understanding that anyone can be HIV-positive,' says another Trust Point Assistant Elena Devyatova.
Trust Points have been launched in Tashkent by World Vision Uzbekistan in 2004 and proved successful both in the area of HIV/AIDS prevention and education of the population. Trust Points are currently serving about 2,000 people at risk of HIV/AIDS in Tashkent City, which is about 10% coverage of the city's total estimated at risk population. By 2009, World Vision Uzbekistan intends to reach 7,200 people at risk in Tashkent City.
Artur, an injecting drug user living with HIV says, 'Trust Point is a place where I won't be rejected, where I can get real help and I don't feel lonely.'
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
