Vital services should be provided

“Within our team, we have long learned how to work together, use strengths and improve weaknesses, developing the potential of everyone. How do we do it? It’s simple: no matter how large-scale and ambitious projects are, we always work directly with people, recipients of services, and for people. At the same time, we constantly monitor the situation in the world and 11 thousand of our clients know that we will do everything to ensure that they receive harm reduction services, control of adherence to treatment and social support without interruption. We work in 6 regions of the country, our team has more than 100 people, 80% of them are HIV-positive. I always said with confidence that our programs are unconditionally sustainable. After all, the people who are now with us are working primarily to help those who need support. And we were ready for a pandemic long time ago"
Nofal Sharifov Head of NGO "Public Union Against AIDS"

Problem

It is estimated that there are 8,100 PLHIV in Azerbaijan, 6,804 of which were registered at the AIDS center at the beginning of 2020. The HIV epidemic in Azerbaijan is concentrated among key population groups, with the most significant epidemic process among IDUs and MSM. But this trend is gradually declining. If we consider the percentage in comparison, it used to be 64%, now is about 50%. In the new realities of the pandemic, the need arose for comprehensive HIV + COVID-19 prevention. One of the most important focuses during the period of the new threat was to provide the necessary protection for the people we help in order to protect them as much as possible from the risk of infection with COVID-19.

Solution

The main task for the Public Union Against AIDS team was to provide and to continue providing services, adapting the format in accordance with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The focus was on the prevention in the combination of HIV + COVID-19.

During the pandemic, the team of the Public Union Against AIDS went on providing IDU services by complementing basic services with the prevention elements of COVID -19. 

In addition to safety counseling, we have expanded the list of organization services with new ones in response to the challenge of a new time:

  • First of all, we provided all our team with necessary means of protection and prevention (masks, gloves, sanitizers).
  • Arranged the delivery of ARV medication for people living with HIV, who for some reason could not go to get them on their own.
  • Special online platform was created in our country where it was possible to issue the permission for employees to move during the quarantine. We did immediately for everyone, so that we don’t have to go there twice, so to say. 
  • We have optimized harm reduction services: to distribute syringes and other sterile materials to outreach workers, the routes were adjusted according to the place of residence. We began to give clients more syringes and sanitary napkins, for 2 months of the pandemic we have more clients on secondary exchange.
  • The syringe exchange point in Baku works without interruptions.

An important step by the state was to provide financial support to people who lost their jobs during the pandemic. The state began to pay benefits of $115 to people who had no income or lost their job within two months. Our employees helped our clients to get this money.

Result

Our work is still going on and after the pandemic we will definitely leave some improvements and changes in the work of services aiming at preventing not only HIV, TB, HCV, but also COVID-19.

For 2 months of quarantine, we have provided support and vital services for nearly 3,000 clients.