Since January 2022, the European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG) in partnership with the Alliance for Public Health (APH) have been delivering their first Massive Open Online Course. We brought together the best experts in the field of HIV/AIDS for the production of video courses for the online training platform STEP-UP MOOC.

We worked for more than 10 months to develop the materials of the MOOC. After the development of the bilingual (English and Russian) curriculum consisting of self-paced e-learning combined with training on networking, empowerment, and advocacy, the MOOC was launched in April 2023.

Building on the established face-to-face STEP-UP trainings, the transition to the online format helped EATG provide broader access to HIV/AIDS trainings for more than 300 activists from more than 35 countries. 25 expert trainers led participants through their learning path to the final stage of certification.

Active participants received recognised certificates on:

• Science of HIV/AIDS, co-infections, HIV cure and design of clinical trials
• Stigma, discrimination and criminalisation
• Harm reduction and service delivery for vulnerable groups
• Advocacy with pharmaceutical companies on treatment pricing and affordability
• HIV and mental health
• Ageing and co-morbidities
• Migration and travelling with HIV

In addition, STEP-UP  extended beyond virtual learning. Graduates of the online course who scored the highest on the tests were invited to a 3-day coaching seminar with the course instructors.

The STEP-UP Community of Practice Workshop, took place in Porto, Portugal, from June 29th to July 2nd.

Over this weekend, 22 passionate HIV advocates gathered to enhance their skills and connections. Through mutual sharing, the advocates showcased the potent blend of personal identities and collective advocacy.

STEP-UP mini-grants were awarded to 8 MOOC graduates for the implementation of their own projects. Here is how these grants helped communities:

• “Wellbeing Training for Women Living with HIV in Tajikistan” implemented by Zoir Razzakov, one of our participants representing the NGO “Tadzhik Network of Women Living with HIV”.
• “Training on PreP and PEP for KeyPops” in the Kyrgyz Republic by Daria Mikulich from NGO “EECA CAB”.
• “Training for Peer Educators” by Ivana Benkovic from NGO “Iskorak” in Croatia.
• The “Avoid Loneliness” project by Tatiana Golubeva from NGO “People Plus” will help reduce the social isolation of older PLHIV and disabilities in Belarus.
• “Promoting women’s rights and empowerment” project by Natalia Minaieva from NGO “Nursenim” in Kazakhstan.
• “Harm reduction for young people” project of Hovsep Davtyan from the Armenian NGO “Real World, Real People”.
• “Obstetric violence” project by Natalia Gerasimchuk implemented by Ukrainian NGO “Positive Women”.

  The only requirement to take part in the STEP-UP MOOC programme is a desire to participate. STEP-UP MOOC will remain open online in for activists to deepen their knowledge of HIV advocacy and scale up their work.

   

  Find out how you can register and follow the STEP-UP MOOC here.

   

  Thank you to all who made STEP UP MOOC possible — teams of European AIDS Treatment Group, Alliance for Public Health, e-Sia learning platform, external consultants, our trainers and experts and of course all participants!

GF-funded and implemented by Alliance for Public Health SoS project includes WHO Europe and PAS Center activities on HIV diagnostics reforms in EECA that would lead to improvement in the first 95% for the region – to elevate it from current just above 60%. As part of this endeavor, a meeting was held in Ankara uniting expertise of WHO Europe, PAS Center, HIV and laboratory services from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, on 19-21 September 2023.

Low-threshold, early and rapid HIV detection is crucial to stopping HIV epidemics in EECA – most HIV transmissions (10-50%) occur from PLHIV in acute stages of HIV (within the first 10-12 weeks of infection). Thus, those HIV tests that can make earliest detection of HIV (e.g. 4^th generation RDT – at the 17^th day of infection) should be prioritized compared to methods that do later HIV detection (western blot or WB, at 36^th day of infection or later, when antibodies develop). WHO recommends three consecutive rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) as a standard of HIV infection diagnostics and not using WB; this would allow both early (starting early days of infection), accurate (99% accuracy) and rapid (within one hour) diagnostics.

Most EECA countries are still far from 3 RDT standard for diagnostics (Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Ukraine constitute bright exceptions) and heavily rely on laboratory diagnostics. For various reasons: fear of ‘inaccurate’ diagnosis without laboratory involvement, lack of registered tests in country to ensure accurate diagnostic test combination, fear of laboratories staff losing jobs. Also 3 out of the 9 countries present in the meeting use WB not recommended by WHO.

The SoS project meeting very importantly stressed that upon transition to 3 RDT algorithm laboratories will continue to be significantly involved – in the first place to control and thus facilitate improvement of the quality of testing (through development of guidance, staff training, facilitation of external quality control, monitoring and research etc). Just to give example, Ukraine has 25,000 sites for HIV testing and 30 regional laboratories – thus national reference laboratory of Ukraine has a lot of work to do to insure HIV testing quality control.

Interesting experience on HIV testing optimization was shared by Moldova which in its current HIV diagnostic algorithm uses  2 rapid tests and GeneXpert VL testing. This approach allowed diagnosing 56% of all new HIV cases in 2022 in just one day.

It is very inspiring that this consultative and exchange work, like the meeting in Ankara, is delivering results for the simplification of HIV testing algorithms in countries. For example, Kazakhstan is now in process to revise its testing algorithm to move from WB and centralized testing algorithm to 3 RDT without WB; this will allow to shorten HIV diagnosis time from the current 3-5 days to below 2 days. It is also foreseen that with the SoS project funding WHO Europe will support the conduct of verification studies for RDT combination in Kazakhstan and Georgia to inform the modification of HIV testing algorithms to the one based on 3 RDT.

Head of Laboratory of Kazakhstan HIV service Galiya Tajibaeva,  present in Ankara meeting, shares: ‘Within the SoS project the comparative analysis of cost effectiveness of current HIV testing algorithm in Kazakhstan with the WHO recommended one was conducted. Its conclusions were very instrumental for further work on implementing new HIV testing strategy in republic of Kazakhstan.’

On 10 August 2023, from 11:30 to 13:00 (EEST, UTC+3), an online presentation of the policy brief “ARV price reduction mechanisms in Eastern Europe and Central Asia” will be held for the attention of stakeholders from the EECA and SEE regions.

Pre-registration for the event: https://goo.su/Mzc5lN

The region of Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) has one of the fastest-growing HIV rates in the world. New HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths are increasing rather than decreasing. The main HIV treatment and key to controlling the HIV epidemic globally is antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Generic versions of antiretrovirals (ARVs) and support from international donors to procure them mean that they are widely available at a relatively low cost. Despite this, countries in EECA pay more than other global regions for this life-saving treatment. High prices can be attributed partly to government corruption, such as overly complicated procurement processes, limited competition and intellectual property and trade framework restrictions.

Many low- and middle-income countries rely heavily on support from donor funds to procure ARVs and control the HIV epidemic, yet there have been reductions in donor funds across the globe. The event will feature a report by The Economist Impact researchers who have studied pricing and compiled information on the mechanisms of reducing prices for antiretroviral drugs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia into a single guide.

Event agenda

11.30 – 11.35    Welcome, introduction to the webinar 

                              Moderator: Tetiana Deshko, Alliance for Public Health

11.35 – 11.50    Presentation of ARV policy brief on ARV price reduction mechanisms in EECA

                              Aanisah Khanzada, The Economist

11.50 – 12.05   MPP role in ARV price reduction

                              Esteban Burrone, Medicines Patent Pool

12.05 – 12.20   ARV price reduction trends: 2019-2021 vs. 2022

                               Sergii Dmytiiev, HAC

12.20 – 12.35    GF involvement in ARV price reduction in EECA

                                Ganna Bolokhovets, The Global Fund

12.35 – 12.55    Q&A, discussion

                               Moderator: Tetiana Deshko, Alliance for Public Health

12.55 – 13.00    Closing remarks

Join us! Pre-registration for the event: https://goo.su/Mzc5lN

This report looks at initiatives and solutions to reduce ART prices in five EECA countries that are experiencing funding changes:

• Improving ART price transparency: National governments must publish procurement documents and pricing information to encourage efficient pricing and avoid corruption.
• Community action: Civil society organisations—often led by people living with HIV—and budget advocacy groups have been central to obtaining affordable ARVs in EECA. Public campaigns, publishing drug prices, opposing patents and negotiating with pharmaceutical manufacturers are among the methods advocated by civil society organisations to achieve affordability.
• National procurement: National procurement agencies have been developed to replace donorfund procurement mechanisms in some countries eg Ukraine. Political will, transparent national laws, generic competition and ongoing advocacy efforts from civil society organisations are required for national agencies to achieve international purchasing power.
• Generic competition: Bringing multiple generics to market is a key strategy to lower the average price per person for ART. Generic competition is partly facilitated by the work of civil society organisations but also through Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) flexibilities and other provisions in national laws governing registration of medicines and procurement.
• The support of donor funds and international organisations: Despite transitioning away from donor funds to buy ART, the Global Fund, United Nations Development Programme and UNICEF continue to support broader HIV response and provide guidelines to enable a successful transition.

The report is available at economist.com

July 28 is the World Hepatitis Day

The Alliance for Public Health (the Alliance) continues its fight against viral hepatitis and traditionally joins
commemoration of the World Hepatitis Day. Since the risk of viral hepatitis infection increases multiple
times in war and crisis conditions, because the hepatitis virus is transmitted with blood. Injuries and contacts with untested blood, wounds and sexual violence, unfortunately, have become a reality and a threat – both for the military, and for civilians. That is why hepatitis testing is especially relevant in wartime.

The Alliance for Public Health (the Alliance) continues its fight against viral hepatitis and traditionally joins commemoration of the World Hepatitis Day. Since the risk of viral hepatitis infection increases multiple times in war and crisis conditions, because the hepatitis virus is transmitted with blood. Injuries and contacts with untested blood, wounds and sexual violence, unfortunately, have become a reality and a threat – both for the military, and for civilians. That is why hepatitis testing is especially relevant in wartime.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, as part of the Alliance’s HIV prevention programs, 108,671 HCV rapid tests have been held, which is almost twice as much as in 2021 (most of them among representatives of HIV vulnerable groups, in particular drug users), of which 37% turned out to be positive! Out of 12,600 viral hepatitis B tests, 2.5% were positive. Starting from February 24, 2022, the Alliance has offered access to HCV diagnosis and treatment to more than 3,300 people living with HIV and tuberculosis and their partners, i.e. to one in every six of those covered with treatment at the national level. Adherence to treatment remained extremely high – 98%, due to that every patient was accompanied by non-governmental organization workers during their treatment and 12 weeks after. The Alliance does everything possible to ensure continuity of treatment for patients who are internally displaced within Ukraine or refugees abroad.
The most important role in organization of HCV testing, diagnosis, and treatment is performed by our partner nongovernmental organizations. They are the ones who test, provide information and social support to representatives of key populations, refer for HCV diagnosis and treatment, conduct counseling, accompany treatment, form adherence to it, carry out extensive educational work, etc. All in all, since 2015, as part of the Alliance’s HCV treatment program, more than 12,000 people from among the most vulnerable groups have gained access to HCV diagnosis and treatment. These are people living with HIV, drug users, men having sex with men, and sex workers. 99% of them are drug users who have HIV/HCV or TB/HCV co-infection, as well as their partners.

Viral hepatitis always remains one of priorities of our activities!

THIS YEAR, THE THEME OF THE AWARENESSRAISING CAMPAIGN ON THE WORLD HEPATITIS DAY AROUND THE WORLD IS THE FOLLOWING

̏ONE LIFE. ONE LIVER.˝

This slogan is about responsibility and attention to oneʼs health, which is extremely important in times of war. After all, hepatitis often destroys the liver in an unnoticeable way

Today, on July 28, 2023, the Alliance together with the World Health Organization calls on our fellow citizens to take the following important steps:
1. Consult a doctor about how to protect yourself against hepatitis.
2. Undergo regular testing – it is availableand free of charge.
3. If the result is positive, undergo diagnostics, treatment with modern direct antiviral action drugs.
The medicines are available in Ukraine, free treatment is provided by the state.
4. Get vaccinated against hepatitis B.

Thanks to a new approach to working with communities, people have the opportunity to initiate solutions to their priority needs through the donor funding

For almost a year and a half, a full-scale war has been raging in Ukraine. According to the official data, more than 15 million Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes as internally displaced persons (IDPs) or refugees in the first 12 months, the largest population movement in Europe since World War II. These figures illustrate the unprecedented humanitarian crisis faced by Ukraine, which is making incredible efforts to defend its sovereignty and democratic values.

Since the very beginning of the war, a significant number of volunteer and local religious initiatives have responded to the humanitarian crisis caused by Russian military aggression. In July 2022, the Alliance for Public Health, with the support of Christian Aid, launched a pilot crisis response program in Ukraine involving people affected by military aggression. This approach implies the involvement of community initiative groups and communities in a mini-grant contest to effectively unite and address urgent humanitarian needs and to support their vital initiatives. The activities are carried out within the framework of the project “Integrated Humanitarian Response in Conditions of War and Post-War Reconstruction”, which results in the provision of humanitarian and social assistance, medical, psychological and legal counselling.

Community initiatives are supported by microgrants

“Thanks to the implementation of the Rukavychka project – a warm and safe night at a police checkpoint for those in need – we managed to equip 7 police checkpoints and create overnight accommodation for people. The facilities are equipped with electric generators, heaters, folding beds, tables, benches, hot drink machines and chairs for a comfortable stay. This made it possible to help more than a hundred people who fled the occupied territories and had no housing, as well as those who, due to the lack of light, electricity and heating, did not have the conditions to spend the night at home,” says the Melitopol Volunteer Group “PATRIOT”, which participated in the mini-grant competition and won funding to set up seven “Points of Invincibility”, which operate around the clock and are free to people who stay there temporarily.

Between July 2022 and May 2023, 203 community groups in 20 regions of the country were supported with 203 microgrants totalling over £415,000 and reaching over 41,769 people. The approach focuses on the natural creativity and capacities of the crisis-affected communities to encourage and support them in identifying and implementing the initiatives that help improve their immediate well-being, address the root causes of the crisis in a timely manner, and strengthen their long-term resilience by enhancing a social cohesion.

An initiative group from the village of Zastuhna in the Kyiv region was able to equip a room with furniture and other equipment to host various children’s clubs, workshops, and create a space for children to learn. In addition, a medical office has been opened in the equipped room, where residents can receive free medical services. “Our initiative group cares about the improvement of wellbeing of the village, constantly compiles lists of needs, identifies new problems to be solved, and sets ambitious goals. We are very pleased that in such a difficult time for the country there are social projects that help improve the lives of vulnerable people,” says Tetiana Pasichnyk, Zastuhna village head.
A recent real-time evaluation by the international faith-based organization ACT Alliance found that this participatory approach involving people and community groups is a best practice to support and strengthen humanitarian localization plans in Ukraine.

People are focusing on their primary needs

Only those people affected by the crisis have a clear understanding of the resources, difficulties and opportunities of their own communities. According to the results of the mini-grant contest, the community initiative groups most often indicated the absence or lack of funding for the following areas: construction of communal bomb shelters; repair of evacuation vehicles; preparation of elderly people’s homes for winter; reconstruction of water towers; installation of wood stoves in elderly people’s homes and schools; equipment of children’s playgrounds and creation of safe spaces for children; allocation and arrangement of laundry facilities for IDPs; purchase of kitchen appliances for shelters where they would be able to cook independently; and many other services. “We conducted a study of the state of nutrition in different social groups and identified certain problems, such as the lack of fresh vegetables and fruits, the inaccessibility of healthy food due to economic reasons, etc.,” said the employees of the Renaissance Foundation. ” As a result, in the short term we provided 40 IDPs with quality and healthy food, and in the long term, we created comfortable living conditions for them in the shelters and “safe places” with the option to cook their own food themselves.

The need for power generators was the result of Russian missile attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and, at present, the need to purchase them remains quite urgent as the war continues and new destruction occurs every day. The NGO ProLife Ukraine purchased and handed over several electric generators and fuel coupons for the generators to the Buchach Communal Enterprise, which helped to provide water towers with electricity to ensure uninterrupted water supply in the areas where about 2000 people live, 500 of whom are IDPs.
Also, thanks to participation in the mini-grant competition, Konotop City Territorial Community received a 5 kW hybrid solar power plant to meet the needs of the IDP Support Center, which is home to almost 3,500 people. This helped to strengthen the community’s capacity to respond to the electricity supply crisis by creating a place of “energy security”, which is important for residents as it makes them feel more secure and reduces their psychological stress.

Another striking example of meeting the urgent needs of the population, including IDPs, was the creation of a space for children with special educational needs, where 120 children received free psychological and correctional services over the course of the year. “Not only children with special educational needs need psychological and correctional help, but also those children who have experienced stressful situations. These children include most of the displaced children who came to Vinnytsia from the occupied territories or from the war zones,” the specialists from the FIDES Psychological Centre said. The funds were used to purchase the necessary equipment and teaching materials, as well as to create the right conditions for free classes for children. In just three months, 40 group and 60 individual sessions were held there.
Over the course of the project, we have seen that microgrants enable community groups to quickly address their most pressing needs and seize the existing opportunities in their communities. All ideas for the implementation of certain initiatives come exclusively from the communities or individuals, which confirms the uniqueness and importance of this approach. We have witnessed countless examples of spontaneous local actions aimed at overcoming the consequences of the war in Ukraine. It is time to actively support people who intuitively work to meet the needs of the community as a whole.
Reflecting on how the civil society has strengthened over the past year, the Alliance has reported that it was a good start, but that there is still much work to be done. Much of this work is about creating the space, opportunities, structures and resources to enable local actors, including community groups and local organisations, to act on their ideas.

Additional Information:

The Alliance for Public Health is implementing the project “Integrated Humanitarian Response in Conditions of War and Post-War Reconstruction” with the financial support of the Disasters Emergency Committee (UK) and with the technical support of Christian Aid. The main goal of the activity is to support communities to meet urgent humanitarian, social and medical needs and to live in dignity even in crisis conditions.

From the 29^th of June to the 2^nd of July, the STEP-UP Community of Practice Workshop took place in Porto, Portugal. During the weekend, 22 HIV advocates attended a comprehensive programme to strengthen the knowledge and skills they need to advocate for the best HIV practices. This was also the occasion for them to share their experiences and connect on a personal level with activists from across Europe and Central Asia.

On the first day, participants were welcomed by the workshop’s facilitator, Julian Hows. The opening training explored the link between HIV and fundamental human rights, and demonstrated why advocating for them requires adopting an intersectional lens. A communal lunch was then followed by a case-study session on advocacy implementation, given by Christos Krasidis, which further equipped them to scale up their advocacy on a national and international level. This was the occasion for participants to learn about practical tools to create social mobilisation as well as a time to reflect on their personal journeys.

Being a person living with HIV, being a mother, being a social worker, are things without which my activism could not be the same

says Joanna (Portugal), a participant at the workshop, highlighting how intersectionality shaped their activism.

The second day was marked by a milestone of the project, as the STEP-UP mini grants were awarded to 8 MOOC graduates. Daria (Kyrgyz Republic), Hovsep (Armenia), Ivana (Croatia), Natalia (Kazakhstan), Nataliia (Ukraine), Paweł (Poland), Tatiana (Belarus), and Zoir (Tajikistan) presented their projects to the group outlining the steps they will take to implement them. Paweł explained that the grant would allow to extent their testing project in Poland far beyond their hopes and enable their organisation to reach many more people.

As an activist -and because it is so important- I would have pushed my project forward no matter what, but to have the means and the support to actually implement it makes a world of difference

explained Paweł.

The workshop resumed with training on programme management, budget advocacy and fundraising delivered by Olga Denisiuk and Sergii Dmytriiev. These sessions focused on providing participants with a concrete toolkit to lead their projects and influence funding streams. Reflecting on their experience Andrew (Iceland) shares that

with COVID my organisation lost a great part of its funding due to government cuttings. Since then, I dread talking about funding, but now I am excited to go back and share what I learned. It is great to find a spark where you had not expected it. 

Importantly, the learning process continues outside the conference room, during moments of camaraderie over coffees and dinners. Beyond being a training, the weekend is a space for activists to connect with their peers and to take a step forward together. Andrea (Romania) summarises this sentiment by concluding that

my biggest take away from the weekend are the people who empowered me so much with their passion and the strength they have to advocate no matter their status.

Ricardo Fernandes, EATG Chair, closed the weekend with a hopeful call to action

This weekend has been an important place of learning for us who stand up for human rights and for our communities. I hope we can bring these learnings to our upcoming challenges because there is still so much to be done, and to be done together.

While the workshop is over, the STEP-UP MOOC continues to be accessible online in English and Russian for activists to deepen their knowledge of HIV advocacy and scale up their work. Find out how you can register and follow the STEP-UP MOOC here.

July 25, 2023  12:00 до 13:30 (EEST, UTC +3), the webinar “Introducing harm reduction services for people who use drugs recreationally in EECA and the Balkans ” will be held.

Recreational drug use is on the rise, but at the same time young people who engage in it are not properly targeted by harm reduction services and don’t receive the necessary support, information and commodities they need to prevent them from turning to problematic use and all the relevant consequences.

On this webinar we’ll share international experience on planning and implementing harm reduction programs specifically for this target population, as well as present the guide that we are working on in this regard.

This webinar will be useful for program managers, advocates, policy makers and communities from across the region to help them inform their decisions and actions.

The webinar will be held in ZOOM.
Please register to partisipate.

Languages: English, Russian, BHS, Albanian

Agenda:

The first camp shift in Safe Place ended with a smile and a lot of impressions ☺️

Ten children from the occupied Tokmak have become close friends with our entire team during the stay. That’s why we are sad to see them go, but we are keeping the bright moments.

Together we visited many interesting places in Lviv and beyond. We saw exhibited animals at the Zoological Museum of the Ivan Franko University and played with real animals at the Skarbova Hora Ranch. We created wood crafts at Open Lab Lviv and danced break dancing at Urban Camp Lviv. We drew on a media board at the Youth Center and learned to firefight at the State Emergency Service University. We thank everyone for this opportunity to give children from the frontline areas a carefree holiday.

The basis of our camp for IDP children is psychological work. Every day we hold evening circles where children talk to psychologist Galyna in a relaxed atmosphere. They talk about their impressions and expectations of the new day in the camp. Galyna becomes a true friend for the children, who, as a matter of professional duty, keeps all their secrets. If necessary, the psychologist communicates with the children in private. In addition, everyone has a Safe Camp diary where they record their work with the psychologist.

The children are also supervised by tutors who are future psychologists and social workers from the University of the State Emergency Service. Svitlana, a health worker, monitors the children’s physical health and informs parents how they feel today. This comprehensive approach is extremely important when working with IDP children and helps them feel comfortable in the camp.

In the future, we are planning 5 more shifts of the Safe Camp, where we expect more than 50 IDP children from the frontline cities of Bakhmut, Svitlodarsk and Gulyaypol. All children will be accommodated in the Safe Place shelter.

We thank the University of the State Emergency Service in Lviv and Vice-Rector Ivan Movchan for their help with tutors and instructors and comprehensive support.

Let’s keep working and create a Safe Camp!

On International Children’s Day Alliance for Public Health calls to prioritize more children affected by war in Ukraine – to provide them access to medical and social services, including HIV, TB and other health services, education, appropriate living conditions and access humanitarian assistance.

Children are among the most vulnerable groups suffering from russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, making the devastating impact of war on 7.5 million children in Ukraine.

ALLIANCE RESPONSE

• Evacuation from war affected regions (literally from the first days of the war).
• Alliance supported 17 shelters in 10 regions of Ukraine (Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv, Dnipro, Donetsk, Odesa, Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Poltava, Cherkasy, Lviv and Kharkiv regions) including safe spaces for children and adolescents.
• Providing medical, psychological, educational, humanitarian needs of internally displaced children – 200 small humanitarian projects were supported having families with children and adolescents among the key recipients with over 5 000 children received different kinds of assistance.
• Humanitarian assistance to medical and social institutions working with children (among over 2 000 tons of humanitarian assistance delivered by Alliance humanitarian convoys the significant share was for children: food, milk formula, medical pediatric supplies, equipment for child rehabilitation, educational materials, toys etc).
• Targeted humanitarian, social and medical support for children from key populations families, in particular, people who use drugs (PWUD), sex workers (CSW) and other KPs.
• Support for over 700 children with special needs from orphanages and state institutions both local and evacuated from occupied territories and war affected areas.
• Support for educational and extra-curricular and tailored group leisure activities for 313 children from Kyiv, Poltava, Kharkiv, Odesa, Cherkasy and Slovyansk.
• Providing basic humanitarian and medical support to children and families living on de- occupied territories through Alliance’s mobile treatment points (MTP), particularly in Kherson and Kharkiv regions, near the frontline where medical, educational and social infrastructure are not functional.
• Providing medical, social and psychological support through HeplNOW, Help24 and other platforms to war refugees – families with children and adolescents.

Click here or on the image below to view the report: 

STEP-UP MOOC is in full swing now and more than 160 trainees have signed up and followed the online course. Do you want to know more about what’s inside the box? Here we are sharing information about our expert trainers and the diverse topics they cover.

1.HIV and Mental Health by Sophie Kortenbruck

Sophie holds a degree of Master of Arts (SocSci) in Psychology and a Master of Science in Global Mental Health from the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Sophie helped build the capacity of the psychosocial support system for refugees and migrants in Berlin, starting in 2016.

Her Training will cover:

• Basics of HIV & Mental Health;
• Why Mental Health is important for stopping HIV;
• HIV & Dealing with Emotion;
• Pleasure, Activism and Sexual Health;
• Integrating Mental Health advocacy in your work.

2. Pricing and Affordability of Health Products by Gaëlle Krikorian

Gaëlle is a sociologist and activist on access to medicines issues since the mid-1990s. Her researches concern social movements, globalization and trade negotiations, and public policies on health and technologies. She is the author of a number of articles on pharmaceutical policies, public policies involving medical technologies, social mobilizations and collective action, common goods, and intellectual property rights.

Training consists of 5 chapters:

• Evolution of the prices of health products;
• Patents on medicines;
• The World Trade Organization (WTO) and access to health products;
• Medical Research & Development (R&D) and Intellectual Property (IP) protection;
• Access problems: the failure of the market theory;
• How to get good R&D, good prices & access?

3. Introduction to the Science of HIV by Oğuzhan Nuh

Ozla is a queer HIV activist and health services researcher from Turkey. With over 5 years of experience working in public health as an HIV activist, he holds an MSc in Health Sciences from the University of Luzern in Switzerland. Ozla’s course covers:

• Transmission Routes;
• The Structure and life cycle of HIV;
• HIV treatment;
• Classes of HIV medication;
• Global goals and pipeline.

4. Risk and harm reduction: Chemsex by Juanfran Cabrera

Juan is a psychologist and sexual health advisor in a Spanish HIV and LGBBQ+ organization called Apoyo Positivo. Sexual Health advisor. HIV health services delivery specialist. Risk and Harm reduction programs expert. Trainer and international representation. During the course, participants will know how to:

• Assist workers in supporting people who are at risk of, or who are already having problematic use of chemsex;
• Gain accurate information about the chemsex phenomenon;
• Leaning chemsex drugs, routes of consumption and associated risk and harm;
• Understand the connections between mental health, substance use, stigma, and discrimination etc.

5. HIV Stigma & Discrimination by Dany Stolbunov

Dany is a human rights activist and HIV patient advocate. Co-founded the union of adolescents and youth in Eastern Europe and Central Asia — Teenergizer in Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. In Dany’s training, you’ll know about:

• HIV Stigma;
• Internal and External Stigma;
• Discrimination;
• An intimate connection of stigma, discrimination and human rights;
• Stigma-reduction approaches and practical solutions on how to fight stigma in your communities.

6. Harm Reduction by Marios Atzemis

Marios possesses BA in Sociology. Lived experience as a user of psychoactive substances. He is a harm reduction officer in the Greek Association of People Living With HIV and a Board member of the Drug Policy Network of South Eastern Europe. His training will help you:

• Understand the basics of harm reduction in all aspects;
• Get a detailed description of all harm reduction approaches;
• Highlight the strengths of peer-led harm reduction;
• Understand the relation between HIV and harm reduction strategies.

7. Relationships between Community and Pharma by Aleksei Mikhailov

Since 2013, Aleksei works on monitoring and analyzing the procurement of medicines, diagnostics and preventive measures in the countries of the EECA region. Conducting training events on procurement monitoring for activists from the countries of the EECA region. His training will help you:

• Learn the origins and causes of patient activism;
• Understand why it is necessary to monitor the activities of pharmaceutical companies;
• Find out what are the main ways of interaction between patient communities and drug manufacturers;
• Know the strongest negotiation platforms;
• Join the movement of activists who work to improve access to treatment and diagnosis.

8. HIV testing Guidelines and their implementation by Olga Denisiuk

A medical doctor by education, also a diploma in tropical medicine, and has been working in the HIV field since 2008. Her main focus is services for key populations, including HIV testing, PrEP and HIV treatment access services. Olga covers the next things in her training:

• Approaches, provision and principles to delivering HIV testing services;
• Diagnosing HIV;
• Digitally assisted HIV testing services;
• Ways to help preventive testing;
• Community-based pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV;

9. Clinical trials and their design by Konstantin Dumchev

Dr. Dumchev is the Scientific Director at the Ukrainian Institute on Public Health Policy. He conducts research and evaluation in the areas related to substance use, viral hepatitis, and HIV/AIDS, including epidemiology, estimation, and implementation science. Topics will be covered:

• Why do we need clinical trials;
• Types of clinical research and place of trials among them;
• Types and Phases of clinical trials;
• Key terms: randomization, placebo, blinding;
• Considerations for Participation;
• Community involvement.

10. HIV treatment pricing and Affordability by Sergey Dmitriev

Public health expert. For 15 years, he has been professionally involved in the issues of HIV prevention, access to treatment and the basics of drug pricing. Sergey is the executive director of the Health Advocacy Coalition (HAC). During his training, Sergey shares with you:

• Why would the community care about drug prices at all?;
• Why, in fact, prices are unreasonably high?;
• What are the price reduction mechanisms?;
• Nothing about us without us principle and many more.

11. Introduction to HIV Science by Anna Deriabina

Anna is a doctor, with a PhD in Public Health, and has been professionally involved in HIV-related issues since 2002. Works at the ICAP International Center at Columbia University as a Regional Director for Eurasia. Leads major projects to improve the quality of HIV diagnosis, treatment and prevention programs. Anna covers:

• The history of the origin of HIV and the rise of the HIV pandemic;
• The epidemiological situation of HIV in the world;
• Ways of HIV transmission;
• The life cycle of HIV;
• HIV reservoir;
• Stages of development of HIV infection;
• Antiretroviral therapy;
• HIV prevention.

12. Harm Reduction by Anna Meteliuk

MSc in epidemiology and biostatistics from the State University of New York. She has been working in the field of public health for over 15 years, since 2016 she has been a project manager to expand access to substitution maintenance therapy for injecting drug users in Ukraine. Anna’s training will highlight:

• Injection drug use;
• The concept of “harm reduction”;
• Needle and syringe programs;
• Opioid substitution therapy;
• Overdose prevention.

13. HIV Cure, HIV Co-infections by Anna Batsiura

Anna is a candidate for medical sciences, associate professor, and infectious disease specialist. Since 1999, Anna has been providing medical care to clients with various infectious diseases, including HIV infection. Has experience working in the regional office of the WHO office in Ukraine. You will discover:

• Complications of curing HIV infection;
• Stages of HIV cure research;
• Current HIV Cure Strategies.

14. Ageing with HIV from a lifecycle approach by Vladimir Zhovtiak

Vladimir is a ​​Ukrainian HIV/AIDS activist and human rights activist. One of the leaders of the movement of people living with HIV/AIDS in Ukraine and the EECA region. Founder of national and international non-governmental organizations of PLHIV. Training includes:

• Epidemiology;
• Pathogenesis;
• Accompanying illnesses;
• Management of ageing with HIV (ART, physical activity, management of menopause in women with HIV);
• Non-medical challenges: the life of an older person with HIV;
• Medical Concerns: Recommendations for Health Care for Older Patients with HIV;
• Older women with HIV;
• Elderly patients in resource-limited settings.

15. HIV and mental Health by Zarina Davletshina

Zarina works as a psychiatrist and psychotherapist. For the last five years, she has given preference to psychotherapy and individual counselling for adolescents and adults. Trainer for the medical staff of the Charitable Organization “100 Percent of Life, Kyiv region. On Zarina’s training, you can discover all about HIV and the Mental Health of women, adolescents, and sex-positivity.

16. Stigma & Discrimination by Michail Golichenko

Michail is a lawyer practising in Russia and Canada. Since 2008, Mikhail has been providing legal support to representatives of key populations in the context of HIV infection in EECA countries. Mikhail’s research and advocacy work includes current collaboration with the Canadian HIV Legal Network. Consists of 5 parts:

• Definition of stigma and discrimination. UNAIDS position;
• Types and forms of stigma. Forms of discrimination;
• Impacts of stigma and discrimination in the context of HIV;
• Working to reduce HIV-related stigma and discrimination.

17. Health Service Delivery for Vulnerable Groups  by Pavlo Smyrnov

Deputy Executive Director at Alliance for Public Health educates on:

• Definition of vulnerable groups;
• Identification of structural barriers to accessing services;
• Principles and requirements for medical services;
• Group Identification and Availability Issues;
• Characteristics and technologies of models;
• Issues of verification and monitoring;
• Examples of care delivery models.

18. Migration and Traveling with HIV by Daniel Kashnitsky

Since 2006, Daniil has been working in the field of public health, in organizations involved in prevention and access to HIV/AIDS services. Doctoral student at the Cermes3 laboratory of Paris Cité University, and has a master’s degree in public health from Lund University, Sweden.

Daniil’s training includes:

• Definitions of migration;
• Demographic data on migration processes in the world;
• Barriers to accessing health care for migrants and refugees, and common access strategies;
• What is the assistance infrastructure for migrants?;
• The role of stigma and in this context — perceptions of migrants by health professionals in receiving countries.

19. Ageing with HIV from a lifecycle Approach by Axel Vanderperre

Axel is UTOPIA_BXL founder & president, Positif Council coordinator, RainbowHouse board member, and European Aids Treatment Group member. His training covers:

• Epidemiology;
• Pathogenesis;
• Accompanying illnesses;
• Management of ageing with HIV (ART, physical activity, management of menopause in women with HIV);
• Non-medical challenges: the life of an older person with HIV;
• Medical Concerns: Recommendations for Health Care for Older Patients with HIV;
• Older women with HIV;
• Elderly patients in resource-limited settings.

20. HIV and Migration by Dr. Mukuzi Muhereza

Dr Mukuzi is the Clinician at a District Referral Hospital, the Emergency health worker and the Worker’s leader. He highlights on:

• Prevention in hostile/migrant environments;
• HIV in a conflict setting;
• Sex as a coercion tool;
• Care and support in migration setting;
• Challenges in logistics in migration setting.

21. HIV Preparedness and Response in the Context of Emergency by Oksana Savenko

Oksana is a Medical Doctor of High Category Degree and a Master’s in Public Health. She is presenting the latest info on:

• The rationale for a specific HIV/AIDS intervention in crisis;
• Addressing HIV/AIDS in emergency settings;
• Groups at risk;
• Establish coordination mechanisms;
• Monitoring activities;
• Prevent and respond to sexual violence and exploitation.

22. Testing Guidelines and their Implementation by Redona Dudushi

Redona possesses MS in Peace Building and Social Transformation from Vermont University. For the past 20 years, she has worked as a Clinical Psychologist for the National Institute of Public Health in the Department of Infectious Disease at the National Program of HIV/AIDS. Redona shares:

• Guidance on key operational and service delivery issues that need to be addressed to increase HIV testing;
• Knowledge of HIV prevention strategies as an important element in reducing HIV transmission.

STEP-UP MOOC is an innovative bilingual (English/Russian) training initiative that brings together activists and experts in the field of HIV. With a combination of self-paced e-learning and face-to-face workshops, this Massive Open Online Course is designed to empower activists, advocates, and individuals interested in making a difference.