It is implemented in the city of Irkutsk within the frames of the program “Abandoned Russian Orphans”, under the guidance of non-commercial corporation “International Research and Exchange Board (IREX)” (USA) with the financial support of USAID (American Agency for International Development).
Duration of the project: April 1, 2007 - March 31, 2008
Goal: Development and using in practice an algorithm of medico-social assistance to HIV+ women and children, born to them; within the frames of NGO`s activity, to prevent abandonment of a child and keeping him/her in the family with parents or guardians.
1st direction of activity.
Defining and describing possible forms of work, methods, conditions of medico-social assistance to HIV-positive mothers and children, born to them, within the frames of NGO`s activity; and also applying the developed program of assisting to clients in practice, working with the target group.
2nd direction of activity.
Applying in practice the partnership component of interaction between NGOs and governmental structures, in order to guarantee succession and complex approach to providing help to HIV-positive women and children born to them.
Objectives:
1st direction
Objective 1. Organize medico-social assistance to families, touched by HIV, within the frames of NGOs activity.
Objective 2. Apply in practice and optimizing the mechanism of providing necessary services and continuous medico-social assistance; working with the limited target group.
Objective 2.1. Develop of the new component of the Program of assistance. Forming the image of positive motherhood among patients (HIV-positive women or PLWHA, planning pregnancy) to prevent early abandonment.
2nd direction.
Objective 3. Organize quality and continuous medico-social assistance to patients through guaranteeing succession in the process of providing help to various structures (NGOs, state-assisted AIDS Centers, social protection, clinics, etc.).
Objective 4. Attract specialists of Social Protection system to partnership with NGOs and state-assisted structures to provide the social component of the Program of medico-social assistance to PLWHA.
Description of the project activities:
Within the frames of the project on the basis of the ICC “STEPS” of the Program “C&S to PLWHA” medico-social assistance to families, touched by HIV, will be organized. According to the questionnaire conducted among clients of the ICC groups for specific medico-social assistance were formed (families with guardians, HIV-positive pregnant women, children, born to HIV-positive mothers and living in the family, PLWHA, planning pregnancy).
It is planned to develop the algorithm of case management for each of the groups, to describe the Program of assistance to medico-social assistance to clients, to describe the route of managing patients of each of the groups with typical needs.
The following will be developed: universal registration and reporting forms, criteria and conditions of referring clients to state-assisted establishments. The mechanism of supplying necessary services and continuous medico-social assistance will be applied in practice and optimized.
Within the frames of the Project new component of assistance will be developed. This component will be aimed at forming the image of positive motherhood among clients (HIV-positive pregnant women or PLWHA planning pregnancy) to prevent early abandonment. To do that (after educating specialists of the project on the issues of forming positive motherhood among clients) a plan and a program of trainings for the target group will be developed (“Young Family School”). Specialists of the project will work with PLWHA on the issues of motivation to leave the child in the family, prevention of early abandonment (counseling by a psychologist, peer consultant).
In order to provide trainings with methodology and information special material will be developed and published. This information and methodological material will be developed for the target group on the issues of forming the image of positive motherhood among HIV-positive women, to provide assistance and organizing “Young Family School”.
Because it is planned within the frames of the project to organize quality and continuous medico-social assistance to clients, it is necessary to guarantee succession in the process of providing help by different structures (NGOs, state-assisted AIDS Centers, social protection, polyclinics, etc.). To do that the universal registration forms will be developed within the frames of collaboration:
Universal registration document, according to which it will be possible to trace services, which HIV+ woman and her child get at different specialists of different establishments and organizations, the quality of the services and outcomes;
Typical list of services provided by each organization - partner, recommended as necessary services to a woman and her child;
Algorithm and order of referring clients to organizations-partners.
Partnership meetings on preparation of the project of interdepartmental agreement of interaction will be held. The following will be discussed, approved and made perfect at these meetings: system of monitoring and evaluation of the process of intersectional interaction in the sphere of providing services; algorithm of work, case management.
It is planned to conduct consiliums (workgroups for specialists) at which specialists of projects will work at difficult cases of assistance.
It is planned to actively involve specialists of the system of social protection into the partnership of NGOs and state-assisted structures which will provide social component of the Program of medico-social assistance for PLWHA. To do that it is planned to study the organization of social assistance to families in Irkutsk and possibilities to involve this Service into the work on social-medical assistance to PLWHA. At trainings specialists will be trained: specialists of social protection, to work with PLWHA (social assistance, forming tolerant attitude towards PLWHA, forming image of positive motherhood among PLWHA, etc.). Informational material for workers of social protection will be developed and published.
To coordinate activities and discuss possible participation, meetings will be held regularly for partners and representatives of social service.
The packet of documents will be prepared within the frames of the project. The documents will describe the Program of Assistance to patients within NGO. The packet will be submitted to the Coordination Council on HIVAIDS at Governor’s Office.
The most important outcome of the project will be strengthening partnership component of NGOs state-assisted establishments in the sphere of providing help to PLWHA, as well as studying possibilities of involving bodies of social protection in the process of providing help to PLWHA and their families with the aim of prevention of social abandonment. 

For more information please contact:
Ms. Akulova Marina Chairlady of RRC Irkutsk
Tel.: 8 (395-2) 331-998
akulova@redcross-irkutsk.org