DUSHANBE, December 12, Asia-Plus — A five-day workshop on development and implementation of service delivery systems for HIV prevention among vulnerable populations that opened in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on December 10 has brought together representatives of Central Asia’s AIDS-service governmental and non-governmental organizations to discuss cooperation issues.
The workshop is organized by the USAID-funded CAPACITY project and the Central Asian AIDS Control Project (CAAP) facilitated by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance that is based in Ukraine.
Ms. Nigina Aliyeva, press assistant, US Embassy in Dushanbe, said the workshop is attended by 21 specialists from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, plus an observer from Turkmenistan. Participants learn about the tools and instruments that local AIDS-service organizations can use in planning HIV prevention activities among vulnerable populations. The organizers also discussed the most effective approaches applied in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region.
This training aims to develop local technical experts across Central Asia who upon return home will lead trainings for other specialists in their respective countries. The CAAP and CAPACITY projects will help these country teams to organize national trainings and continue developing their technical skills. CAAP will also establish the Regional AIDS Fund providing funding of government, public and private organizations and by encouraging regional cooperation
This workshop is one of CAAP and CAPACITY’s joint activities towards building institutional and programmatic capacity among AIDS-service organizations for mobilizing community efforts for HIV prevention. Last year, CAPACITY and CAAP jointly conducted a regional workshop for development of proposals by community organizations, and as a result, 42 organizations received over $2 million in grants to implement HIV prevention activities among vulnerable populations.
The CAPACITY project is funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). CAPACITY provides technical assistance for local organizations working on HIV/AIDS issues in all five Central Asian countries. CAPACITY is managed by JSI Research and Training Institute, Inc. and supported by Abt Associates Inc, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Population Services International (PSI), Boston University, and Howard University.
The CAAP Project, funded by the World Bank and DFID and under the auspices of EurAsEC, is aimed at prevention of HIV epidemics in Central Asia through the strengthening of capacity and cooperation between the public, nongovernmental (NGOs) and private sectors on the regional and national levels through the establishment of Regional AIDS Fund as a sustainable mechanism for financing of HIV counteraction activities.
