HIV Positive to HIV Positive Peer Counseling and Case Management Training Project
Duration : 6 months / September 2017 – March 2018
Budget : The budget of the project was carried out by the AIDS and STI Association.
Sponsor : GlaxoSmithKline (project partnership with AIDS and STI Association)
Purpose and Target and Method:
The HIV Positive to HIV Positive Peer Counseling and Case Management Education Project was made for HIV-positive people whose numbers have increased significantly over the years and especially in the last five years. It was aimed to increase the quality of life of HIV-positive people, their needs for support, counselling and education and to prevent the spread of HIV.
They will be able to serve as role models for their peers who are newly diagnosed or have been living with HIV for a while but have not developed the skills to live with HIV. It was aimed to train people who are at peace with their HIV status, and who can do peer counselling and case follow-up.
Accordingly, 2 full-day training sessions were planned for groups of 20 people in 3 cities where HIV-positive people live the most.
Main topics of the training program: The history of HIV/AIDS, HIV activism in the world and Turkey, the medical dimension of HIV, HIV and cardiac health, HIV and nutrition, laws and human rights, access to treatment and bureaucratic procedures, peer counselling techniques, principles and experiences were designed in the form of role-playing, group work and case discussions.
The training was designed to include informing people living with HIV and sharing experiences. In this way, it was aimed that the educated people both have multi-component information about their HIV status and be ready to provide peer counselling.
Result:
Although 60 people were targeted to attend the training, it was below the expected level with 41 participants. Those who refused to participate expressed their concern for privacy as a common reason.
Many of those who have attended the training are our active volunteers who have started to provide peer counselling under the umbrella of Pozitif-iz Association and are continuing.
Turkish Project Report: https://www.kisa.link/PMUG
