Prevention of HIV/AIDS in the Republic of Belarus

The project is being implemented within the framework of the grant from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria implemented by the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for MT in cooperation with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus “Strengthening national systems of prevention, treatment, care and support in connection with HIV and tuberculosis in the Republic of Belarus.”

NGO "Business Women's Club" is a sub-sub-recipient of this project in the framework of cooperation with ROO "BelAYU".

Project implementation period: 2025-2027.

1. Package of preventive measures for commercial sex workers, their clients and other partners.

Intervention 1.1: Empowering the community of commercial sex workers.

Activity 1.1.1: Strengthening the role of the communities of CSWs, CSWs/PWID, CSWs/PLHIV in the field of HIV prevention, living with HIV by organizing “mutual help groups” for CSWs, CSWs/PWID, CSWs/PLHIV.

Intervention 1.2: Condom and lubricant program for commercial sex workers.

Activity 1.2.1: Implementation of comprehensive HIV/STI prevention programs for sex workers and their environment on the basis of a stationary service delivery point (ACC) and as part of field work, in the city of Brest and the region.

List of services provided to representatives of key groups:
• provision of a basic and expanded package of prevention services HIV infection among CSWs, including CSWs/PWID and their entourage;

• counseling on safe sexual behavior, prevention of HIV infection, STIs, parenteral hepatitis, TB;

• provision of means of preventing HIV infection: condoms, lubricants;

• counseling on safe sexual and injection behavior;

• issuance of syringes and needles, alcohol wipes for sex workers/PWID;

• oral screening for TB;

• consultation by telephone hotline, as well as personal phones of employees and on social networks about project services, HIV and STI prevention;

• provision of printed materials on the prevention of HIV infection, STIs, safe behavior, tuberculosis and etc.;

• searching and attracting CSWs to receive preventive services within the framework of the project using social networks and Internet resources, including online counseling; publications in closed chat groups for people practicing risky sexual behavior; for people who use injecting and non-injecting drugs;

• informing the CSW environment, including clients, on issues of HIV/STI prevention (including providing information materials and condoms);

Activity 1.2.2: Ensuring that clients receive specialized consultations.

Activity 1.2.3: Organizing and conducting rapid blood testing for parenteral hepatitis C and B, key syphilis population groups: CSWs, sexual partners of CSWs, MCG.

Intervention 1.3: Communication, information and creating demand for HIV prevention services among commercial sex workers.

Activity 1.3.1: Organizing and conducting information, educational and other events in online and offline format for the purpose of information and creating demand for HIV prevention services among commercial sex workers. Development of competencies, training of organization specialists involved in the implementation of the grant based on studying the needs for training and professional development.

Intervention 1.4: Services in the field of sexual and reproductive health, including sexually transmitted infections (STIs), hepatitis, assistance to commercial sex workers affected by violence.

Activity 1.4.1: STI testing services:

- payment for the services of health care institutions for examination for the STI/gynecological complex and provision of them to beneficiaries (free of charge on conditions of anonymity);

- provision of examination of representatives of the target group of CSWs and CSWs/PWID for STIs/gynecological complex on the basis of health care institutions with the provision of medical consultation services before and after the examination;

- payment for the services of health care organizations to ensure the appointment of STI treatment for needy beneficiaries in difficult life situations.

2.HIV testing services.

Intervention 2.1: Community-based testing programs for KGN.

Activity 2.1.1. Organization and conduct of rapid HIV testing with pre- and post-test counseling at points of service provision and as part of outreach work of CSWs (in the locations of representatives of key groups), their entourage (including clients and sexual partners), representatives of the ICG;

Activity 2.1.2. Ensuring completion cascade of diagnosis and treatment in connection with HIV of clients with a positive result of a rapid test or confirmatory testing for HIV:

- ensuring that clients who have received a positive result of a rapid test for HIV and who have not previously been registered with a dispensary for HIV undergo confirmatory (diagnostic) testing by redirecting/accompanying clients to a health care organization;

- bringing to the dispensary registration of clients with an established fact of HIV infection (upon obtaining informed consent client);

- redirection to case managers to assess the situation and make a decision on the need to include case management in the program aimed at starting/renewing treatment for HIV infection and forming adherence;

- redirection to partner organizations if a need for additional services is identified.

Activity 2.1.3: Organization and conduct of a network and index testing for HIV of sexual partners of sex workers of sex workers/PLHIV, MCG/PLHIV. Encouraging clients and their partners to undergo index and network testing for HIV through the issuance of motivational certificates

Activity 2.1.4: Training of personnel to provide VCT services.

Intervention 2.2: Self-testing programs for CPGs.

Activity 2.1.1: Rapid HIV testing with pre- and post-test counseling through the issuance and mailing of rapid tests to representatives of CSWs, CSWs/PWID, their PPs, representatives of the ICG.

3. human rights-related barriers to HIV/TB services.

Intervention 3.1. Legal literacy “Know your rights.”

Activity 3.1.1: Providing specialist consultations on legal issues for CSWs, CSWs/PWID, PLHIV, including consultation by phone "hotline".

4. Treatment, care and support in connection with HIV



Project staff from the NGO "KW":

Volkova Irina Yuryevna - project coordinator,

Borichevskaya Galina Ivanovna – chief accountant.

Address: Brest, Dzerzhinsky str., 14, room 27

Hotline phone number: +37529 790-90-90.