Ukraine

FHI worked in Ukraine from 1998 to 2000, assisting to increase the capacity of selected non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in key cities to implement HIV-prevention activities and expand their ability to deliver HIV/STI information and services to high-risk populations.

The five key cities for project implementation were Odessa, Nikolaev, Poltava, Kharkiv, and Kremenchug. Together with our partners, we provided training and workshops, directly funded some activities, and provided on-site technical assistance to the local organizations. The selected NGOs selected were Faith, Hope and Love, in Odessa; Blagodiynist, in Nikolaev; Anti-AIDS, in Poltava; the Red Ribbon NGO, in Kharkiv; and Poryatunok in Kremenchug.

In 2000, we visited three new sites in Ukraine—Vinnytsya, Khrivy-Rig, and Donetsk—to evaluate the collaboration between NGOs and local government groups working on HIV prevention and to assess the future technical support needs of the NGOs we visited in these three cities.

FHI Accomplishments in Ukraine

IMPACT-Ukraine and our partners increased the institutional and practical capacity of the NGOs despite their relatively inexperience in designing and implementing HIV prevention activities aimed largely at injection drug users facing a rapidly spreading HIV epidemic. FHI was especially gratified to see our efforts help all the NGOs to:

• Understand the theories underpinning the project. These included the role of beliefs in bringing about behavior change and the role of behavior change in reducing harm and stemming the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. The organizations were more effective when they began to incorporate their new understanding into their activities.
• Acquire the skills they needed to conduct formative research on risk behaviors among injection drug users and commercial sex workers, including the administration of in-depth interviews and other qualitative methods for data collection.
• Develop communications materials. All of the organizations developed role-model stories to use within their harm-reduction and HIV prevention activities.
• Gain essential exposure to methods for ensuring institutional longevity, including the development of income-generating activities.

FHI also accumulated some impressive numbers in Ukraine during our work there:

• 11,433 clients were provided psychological and/or legal counseling
• 3,601 hours of counseling services were provided
• 880 clients attended support groups for those at high risk for HIV
• 196,130 pieces of printed information were distributed