Bridging the Gap: Conference Record [Abstract book, International Conference on AIDS (12th: 1998: Geneva, Switzerland)]

750 Abstracts 34334-34339

12th World AIDS Conference

Lessons learnt: The "8 step" participatory planning and innovative management systems in the West Bengal Sexual Health Project have provided continuous
learning and ongoing feedback, ensuring that the work done under the project
actually has an impact on improved sexual health. Through systematic planning
and management and promotion of best practices, the project has become more
effective in sexual health service delivery, thereby making it more relevant and
result oriented in terms of improvement in sexual health.
34334 Community based political activism in the battle against
AIDS
Joaquin Hurtado1, A. Quiroga2. Mexica 224, Azteca Sn. Nicolas N.L. 66480;
2Movimiento Abrazo A.C., Monterrey, NL, Mexico
Issue: The little, if any, attention given by governments of underdeveloped nations
for the establishment of preventive measures, adequate care and research on
HIV/AIDS has delayed an integral solution.
Project: Social based community organizations have taken place of governments. Movimiento Abrazo A.C. is a broad-based civil participation group in
Northern Mexico, with six years of political, social and cultural struggles benefiting persons with HIV/AIDS and has reached important milestones in civil and
human rights matters for all citizens.
Results: Currently, Movimiento Abrazo A.C. has partial financing from the government and other foundations for specific projects. Politicians are more careful
with their speech and with the establishment of unilateral strategies in combating
the pandemic. We have a radio show, and office in Monterrey, Mexico, computers
and infrastructure.
Lessons Learned: Political activism, as a resistance and participation strategy
in all social and cultural fronts has helped for the survival of small otherwise ill
fated organizations, so these can have a positive influence in hostile environments
around the vast regions of Latin America.
34335 Founding of the firs hospice for people living with
HIV/AIDS in Mexico, Arbol de la Vida Enfermos en
Superaci6n, I.A.P. Mexico City, Mexico
Enrique Roa1, Luis Raymundo Apolin Torres2.' Claveria #75, Col. Claveria,
Mexico City 02080; 2Arbol de la Vida Enfermos en Superacion, Mexico, DF,
Mexico
Issue: Arbol de la Vida, is an NGO which has the oldest hospice the - care of
persons living with AIDS. Its programs have been developed by the community
and persons living with HIV/AIDS as well as their families and partners.
Project: From its founding in 1986 to the present Arbol de la Vida has provided
services to more than 1000 people. Furthermore, it has created prevention programs with printed materials and audiovisuals reaching more than 1 million people
and other NGO's. Also, it offers psychological and medical care to minorities and
people with scarce resources such as street children, the homeless, orphans and
abandoned women. To confront AIDS as a relatively new illness we need ways of
organizing different from those that already exist. The organization and services
of Arbol de la Vida, have been used in other parts of the country and stands as a
model for a Latin American coutry in its fight against AIDS.
Results: In addition, we have seen that patient-to-patient therapy has been
fundamental in the their recovery. Thus, patients feel a responsibility toward the
hospice and services that it provides.
Lessons Learned: Over the past 15 years, we have learned that men and
women who are living with AIDS or some other incurable disease often become
the substitute parents of the children living with AIDS who have lost their real
parents.
34336 Community based responses to AIDS: The Hong Kong
experience
Bella Luk. 3 Lok Man Road Block F Suite 17B Chaiwan, Hongkong
Issues: Hong Kong's first AIDS NGO was established to encourage community
participation in the fight against AIDS.
Project: Since 1990 AIDS Concern has been recruiting and training volunteers
to deliver AIDS prevention and support services in Hong Kong. volunteers are
currently involved in answering a Hotline, Buddying people with HIV/AIDS (PHAs),
outreach programs, delivering volunteer training, operating a transport service
for PHAs, advocacy work, administrative work, and helping out at fundraising
and awareness events. AIDS Concern is lead by a Board of annually elected
volunteers and subcommittees have been set up to allow more volunteers the
opportunity to participate in the running of the organization.
Result: At first the response was slow and few people came forward to get
involved. However, interest gradually increased, especially among young people,
and AIDS Concern now has over 200 volunteers. The establishment of AIDS Concern has also had a knock-on effect in generating further community responses
to AIDS in Hong Kong. Of Hong Kong's five other AIDS NGOs three have been

set up by former volunteers of AIDS Concern and the other two are currently
managed by former staff of AIDS Concern.
Lessons Learned: Generating community involvement in the fight against
AIDS can be a hard task especially if the community as a whole is unsympathetic to the cause. However, creating opportunities for involvement is actually a
self-fueling process which gathers its own momentum over time.

34337 Building, sustaining, and strengthening capacities of
non-governmental community-based organizations
(CBOs) for HIV prevention
Gary R. West. Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, USA
Objective: Assess what CDC has learned from its experience in directly administering financial and technical assistance programs for Community-Based
Organizations (CBO). Determine financial and technical assistance policies that
help build, sustain and strengthen CBO capacities for planning, implementing,
and evaluating HIV prevention programs. Also identify and assess the impact of
CDC policies that form barriers or impede CBO capacity-building.
Design: Case studies supplemented by surveys and key informant interviews.
Methods: Assessed CDC's program for providing more than $18 million annually in direct financial and technical assistance to 94 CBO programs through
record reviews, case studies, and interviews with key informants from CBOs,
health departments, and national organizations. Compared experience of CBOs
maintaining funding and direct relationships with CDC to a sample of the 500
CBO HIV prevention programs supported by health departments or other national
organizations.
Results: CDC's policies requiring a competitive process for renewal of funding
every three years result in 30-60% of CBOs losing Federal financial support.
Among CBOs losing funding, all have had to reduce services and some have
changed their program focus, lost key staff, or closed their doors. Of CBO's
successfully securing funds, all have a significant start-up phase before services
are offered. CBOs receiving health department funding receive smaller amounts
than CDC awards, have more difficulties with financial management, and take
longer to establish a program infrastructure, but, once established, are better able
to maintain it. Health department-funded CBOs typically have more difficulties in
assessing needed technical assistance.
Conclusion: CDC's funding policies strengthen CBO HIV prevention programs
and services, but also frequently lead to disruption of services in some CBOs
when funding ends. Funding policies decided locally better contribute to maintaining of program infrastructure, but are provided less technical assistance. CDC
programs directed to CBOs need to be revised to support long term program
survival and effectiveness.
34338 Collaborative networks of CDC-funded community-based
organizations in two high HIV prevalence areas
Linda K. Wright-De Aguero1, L.A. Sampson2, K.L. Kay1, E. McLellan3,
L. Gamble3. 1 Ctrs for Disease Control & Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, MS E-59
Atlanta, GA, 2Westat Inc., Atlanta, GA; 3TRW, Inc., Atlanta, GA, USA
Background: Many HIV prevention activities supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are implemented by community-based organizations (CBOs) and their collaborative partners. We examined the collaborative
networks developed by CBOs to provide HIV services and referrals in two high
HIV prevalence areas: New York City (NY) and San Francisco (SF).
Methods: Self-reported data provided to CDC in CBO (n = 27) funding applications and quarterly reports, were abstracted for CBO characteristics, populations
targeted, services provided, the names of associated organizations (maximum
reportable = 46) and types of collaborative activities with each. Descriptive data
were analyzed using SAS. Kappa statistics were computed to measure agreement between groups targeted vs those served. Network data were analyzed
using UCINET IV. We assessed patterns, affiliation, and influence of collaborative
activities and of organizational partners in SF and NY. The QAP matrix correlation
procedure was used to compare overall network patterns.
Results: Overall, CBOs were minority-operated (70%) and served racial and
ethnic minority communities. Each area provided a similar range of services
with SF CBOs providing significantly more prevention case management (p =
0.02). Comparing populations targeted (on sex or drug risk) and those served,
agreement was moderate (4.0 < kappa < 6.0) for SF but weak for NY. The CBO
networks were comprised of a mean of 38.4 organizations with a median of 31
activities. SF and NY had similar linkage activities (roAP =.91, PQAP < 0.0001) but
were less similar in terms of the types of organizations with whom they interacted
(roAp =.68, PQAP < 0.0001). Three types of activities - project collaboration,
facility sharing, and referrals - were the most commonly reported, closely related,
and exerted the greatest potential for influence at each site.
Conclusions: Similar activities were conducted by CBOs in their HIV prevention efforts in both NY and SF but each utilized a different configuration of
organizations. Use of network analytical techniques can enhance our understanding of collaborative efforts and their role in accessing at risk populations and
service delivery. Assistance to strengthen CBO collaborations needs to focus on
the types of relations established as well as the types of organizations and groups
needed to develop these relations.
34339 A model of care for children and families affected by
HIV/AIDS in Romania

Silvia Asandi1, C. Andrei2, I. Batagui2, S. Dan2. 1Bucharest, Strada Rodiei, No.
52, Sector 3; 2Romanian Angel Appeal, Bucharest, Romania
Romanian Angel Appeal (RAA) is a non-governmental organisation whose
projects are focused on improving living standard of Romanian children and
families infected and/or affected by HIV/AIDS. Since 1991, RAA has closely
co-operated with the local medical authorities, in order to implement a new model
of day care services in Romania: four day clinics for children with HIV/AIDS,