In January 2014, volunteers of Red Cross Youth, with Armenian Apostolic Church Araratian Patriarchal Diocese Day Center workers, prepared food and hygiene parcels to distribute among the most vulnerable beneficiaries.
Armenian Red Cross Society, with the support of Italian Red Cross, has been implementing “HIV Prevention in Armenia” program since September, 2013. The program aims at both advancing the impact of effective HIV prevention among vulnerable and high-risk groups (e.g. injection drug users (IDUs)) and advocating people living with HIV (PLHIV) and IDUs to HIV/AIDS treatment, care and support.
The program tends to include the following activities:
1. Dissemination of information through HIV awareness sessions
Armenian Red Cross Youth, in collaboration with Armenian Apostolic Church Araratian Patriarchal Diocese Day Center, is implementing HIV prevention and awareness sessions for different groups of people, namely injection drug users (IDUs), medical personnel, university students, journalism students, mass media representatives and members of Youth Associations of Armenian Apostolic Church, taking into consideration the specific features of the targeted groups, as well as their scope of activities.
By printing and distributing informative materials to the public sessions strive to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS.
2. Broadcasting a Talk show and a TV analytical program, as well as conducting a social survey related to HIV/AIDS
TV analytical programs and TV shows are organized for the dissemination of the problem, e.g. reduction of risk behavior, as well as contribution to dismantling some of the false stereotypes that haunt PLHIV.
3. Social support to the beneficiaries of the program
The beneficiaries of the program “HIV Prevention in Armenia” are injection drug users and people living with HIV, who are from Yerevan and Lori region. Those based in Yerevan are the beneficiaries of Araratian Patriarchal Diocese Day Center.
Food and hygienic parcels are distributed based on the needs assessment of the beneficiaries.
Within the framework of the program ”HIV Prevention in Armenia”, Armenian Red Cross Society collaborates with Armenian Apostolic Church Araratian Patriarchal Diocese Day Center.
The Center aims at reducing social isolation of injection drug users and people living with HIV, promoting their integration into society, as well as contributes to improving their social status and connecting them to spiritual values. The Center’s activities are focused in Yerevan, as well as in different regions of Armenia, providing the beneficiaries with various types of support.
