Romanian Family Health Initiative: HIV and AIDS Component

A central strategy shaping this initiative was collaborative work to develop national policies, strategies, standards, and protocols. For instance, the RFHI partners worked directly with the Ministry of Public Health and key non-governmental organisations to develop HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention initiatives, and provided technical assistance to develop the standards and protocols, training materials, and monitoring and evaluation instruments to implement the national HIV and AIDS strategy [PDF]. RFHI also organised an advocacy training workshop for local NGOs seeking to advocate for the rights of people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) and to provide prevention programmes and referral services for treatment. Similarly, RFHI offered technical assistance to the Romanian Association Against AIDS (ARAS) to develop its advocacy strategy and communication plan.

Again working in partnership with national and international organisations, RFHI assisted with annual World AIDS Day campaigns from 2002 to 2007, creating posters and flyers (in Romanian) designed to reach young people with anti-discrimination messages. Click here to view electronic versions of these materials, which carried the theme of "Open your Eyes, Open Your Heart" and featured a toll-free telephone hotline. In addition, organisers developed both outdoor billboards and a series of 3-minute public service announcements (PSAs) that aired on television and the radio. To build the capacity of the media to spread anti-discrimination messages and to access and communicate correct information about HIV and AIDS beyond the national campaign each year, RFHI developed a printed guide to raise awareness amongst journalists.

Ensuring that young people who have been infected and/or affected by HIV and AIDS is a core RFHI emphasis. Working with the National Union of NGOs Working with PLWHA (UNOPA) and JSI Research & Training Institute, RFHI organised two anti-discrimination photo contests: The World Seen Through my Eyes (2006) and A Day in my Life (2007). An 18-year-old HIV-positive man won the 2006 contest, which provided him with the equipment, training, and support to create a series of 20 3- to 5-minute video spots that deliver HIV and AIDS antidiscrimination messages. Each of the spots, which aired on a national youth television station, is followed by a brief statement from a Romanian personality popular with youth, such as pop stars and music television video jockeys (VJs). His approach to encouraging change involves "coax[ing] viewers to imagine HIV-positive individuals' lives woven with vitality and hope. At the same time, he also communicates the sadness and loneliness that result from discrimination." His goal is to change something about how Romanians - and youth in particular - interact with HIV-positive individuals.

RFHI's focus on interpersonal communication is reflected in efforts to support UNOPA to develop a peer-education programme on family planning and other reproductive health (RH) issues. An assessment process carried out with 20 UNOPA-affiliated organisations shaped the structure of a training workshop (September 9-14 2006) for 20 peer educators. Organisers took into account the need to adopt a course format that was both informative and attractive for a group of beneficiaries still in their teenage years. Involving HIV-positive youth in this process was a key commitment. To cite another example, RFHI supported the Romanian Association Against AIDS (ARAS) project in designing a training curriculum for counselling at a voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) centre.

RFHI also contributed to the national grant proposal to the Global Fund to Fight Against HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) for the 2003 and 2006 funding rounds.

HIV/AIDS, Youth.

According to organisers, the incidence of HIV in Romania is among the highest in Eastern Europe. In addition, Romania has the highest number of youth in the region living with HIV and AIDS; the age group with the largest number of PLWHA in Romania is adolescents.