Empowering local civil society to succeed harm reduction initiatives

Project title: Empowering local civil society to succeed harm reduction initiatives

Location: Bac Kan, Hoa Binh and Tuyen Quang provinces

Donor: AusAID

Project partners: Provincial AIDS Center

Annual Beneficiaries: Self-help groups of PLHIV and drug users, 1,000 people who inject drugs and their sexual partners, 5,000 vulnerable people

Duration: 10/2011-12/2013

Objective: To encourage and support local level initiatives from Vietnamese CSO to develop and promote harm reduction on HIV prevention related to groups at higher risks

Description: Selection and building capacity for CBOs through training, mentoring and on-site coaching. CBOs receive small grants and carry out harm reduction initiatives including livelihood activities. Major activities are:

• Support establishment of CBOs and build their capacity through series of intensive training and coaching
• Provide small grants to competent CBOs
• Manage small grants and provide technical assistance
• Advocate for supportive and enabling environment for development of CBOs in provinces
• Documentation and duplicate effective harm reduction models in the mountainous area
• Developing harm reduction data base in CHP website

Major achievements:

• Established 20 self-help groups of people who use drugs and PLHIV
• Comprehensively trained for 20 self-help groups on both management and technical knowledge and skills
• Provided small grants for self-help groups to implement harm reduction initiatives including income generation activities
• Reached 2000 people who use drugs and 1060 their female sexual partners
• Conducted behavior change communication for 5,120 vulnerable people
• Distributed 250,000 needles and syringes