HealthRight awarded HIV grant for adolescents and women in conflict with the law in Ukraine

NEW YORK - July 14, 2016 - PRLog -- HealthRight International has been awarded a GBP 612,000 grant from the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) to implement comprehensive HIV prevention, care and treatment for adolescents and women in conflict with the law in Kyiv and four other regions of Ukraine.

Ukraine has one of the fastest growing HIV epidemics in Eastern Europe, and nearly 19% HIV prevalence among incarcerated adults. Adolescents in conflict with the law are therefore at high risk for HIV infection. Prison staff and parole officers can play a critical role in reducing HIV incidence among prisoners and parolees by ensuring that adolescents, their parents and women in conflict with the law are fully informed about HIV risk, prevention care and treatment.

This project will build the capacity of 220 service providers to deliver case management, HIV prevention and testing, and recidivism risk-reduction education; provide comprehensive training on HIV prevention, risk reduction and care for  2,600 adolescents and 300 women; increase access to HIV prevention, care and treatment services for adolescents and women in conflict with the law; and enhance the capacity of parents and caregivers to provide supportive environments.

HealthRight has more than a decade of experience working with high-risk adolescents and women in Ukraine, delivering care through comprehensive case management, and strengthening Ukraine's health and social service systems to better meet the needs of marginalized populations. Since 2012, HealthRight has worked in all 6 juvenile prisons and 5 detention centers in Ukraine and engaged over 2,000 incarcerated children and adolescents in HIV prevention education. Over the past two years, the work has expanded to include adolescents in conflict with the law who are serving a sentence in the community or have recently exited prison, and their parents.

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About HealthRight International

HealthRight International is a global health non-profit organization that builds lasting access to health for excluded communities, employing a human rights-based approach and working closely with community partners to improve local capacity and advance the inclusivity of health systems. Visit our webiste: http://www.healthright.org