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After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Published 24 years ago
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Harm Reduction and HIV - Belarus

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This harm reduction programme, implemented in 1996 in Svetlogorsk was created to prevent HIV transmission effectively amongst injection drug users in Belarus. By providing sterile injecting equipment in combination with outreach and harm reduction activities, visible success was noted.
Communication Strategies

By creating a supportive environment within a needle exchange, punitive action changed into support and partnership. This program became the basis for best practice guidelines distributed throughout Belarus.
Development Issues

HIV/AIDS, education, injection drug users, youth, education
Key Points

Svetlogorsk was chosen as the site for the intervention as it was considered to be one of the most affected cities in the country. Both injection drug users and city administration officials agreed that young new drug users were reduced significantly during the period of the project, and that the social tension in the city was felt to be reduced.
Partners



MAP (Monitoring the AIDS Pandemic), IMPACT (Implementing AIDS Prevention and Care Project), Family Health Agency, USAID (United States Agency for International Development), The François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights of the Harvard School of Public Health, UNAIDS (United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS), WHO, European Union

Sources

The Determinants of the HIV/AIDS Epidemics in Eastern Europe: Final Report, Veyrier du Lac, France, June 1998 (English)