|
Hepatitis C care for PUD
From 2014 till 2015 Mainline, together with its local partner Tanadgoma, implemented a series of interventions around Hepatitis C (HCV). The aim of the project was to understand the gaps and barriers to enrolment in the care cascade of hepatitis C prevention and treatment from the community perspective.
Baseline study
To set the stage, our project started with a baseline study and focus group discussions in two cities in Georgia, namely Kutaisi and Batumi. People who use drugs are the most affected population in Georgia. Almost all the respondents of the study are infected with the virus as they report (86%).
The survey showed that treatment possibilities for HCV are not well known. There are also many misbeliefs among drug users about Hepatitis C and its transmission, such as the transmission risk by biting fingernails or being cured of hepatitis C by drinking bird’s blood. The baseline has many other interesting conclusions. Based on the baseline and the focus group discussions, IEC material was developed.
“Having all of this information makes you stronger to fight all of this”.
The project is financed by Gilead's GoShape programme.
Building trust
The outcomes of the study feed the outreach work that takes place in these two cities as well. Social workers have engaged with drug users to build trust. Being there and providing continuous information about hepatitis C, testing and treatment possibilities, answering questions and discussing the concerns of the community have all helped to build trustful relationships.
Drug users call the social workers and ask for help as they sometimes do not understand their clinicians or when they get ‘lost’ in the sometimes complex healthcare services in Georgia. Based on a systematic learning cycle, outreach work is improved and adjusted to community needs.
“The human touch is very important.”
The drug user community has a lot of trust in civil society organisations. Drug users are facing huge stigma in the hospitals and the clinics. With organisation like Tanadgoma, the situation is getting better as the beneficiaries emphasised during the evaluation of the project.
Lessons learned
The project has successfully addressed different groups of drug users on each stage of the hepatitis C care cascade. The lessons learned are documented after one year of targeted outreach work. Based on that, we have formulated a set of best practices on hepatitis C outreach work to link each identified group successfully in the healthcare in Georgia.
Contact person: Hatun Eksen
Download the folders in English & Georgian (via our webshop, scroll down)
With an extension of the project, a follow-up survey to the baseline study will take place in the coming months (spring 2016). The follow-up survey will measure the results of the project among beneficiaries.
Poster presentations of the project took place at the International Harm Reduction Conference in Kuala Lumpur and at the National Hepatitis Day in Amsterdam (2015).
Burkina Faso, Burundi, Egypt, Kenya, Marocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Mainline is a partner in the Love Alliance programme. The Love Alliance brings together organisations led by communities most affected by HIV and AIDS.
United Kingdom, Finland, Greece, Estonia, Serbia, Portugal, the Netherlands
Harm reduction approaches are rarely applied in a recreational sports setting. And why would we - sport equals health, right? Not always. Research shows that the use of performance and image-enhancing drugs (PIEDs) is quite common in various recreational sport scenes. And for those people who use frequently and in high doses, harm reduction can make a big difference.
Kenya, South Africa
Young people use drugs - including minors. It's an inconvenient truth: societies usually seek to prevent young people from damaging their health and there is a big taboo on drug use among young kids. But are stigma, legislation or moral judgement keeping young people away from harm reduction services? This project aims to find out and to improve access to services.
Global
The use of drugs during sex is a growing worldwide phenomenon among men who have sex with men (MSM). Mainline has built a unique track record while working in the frontline of the Dutch 'chemsex' scene. Now, we also apply this expertise in an international context. The best place to start? Our chemsex e-learning.
Iran
Iran is renowned for its harm reduction programme. It was one of the first countries in this geographical region to adopt a harm reduction approach. Government supports and funds the programme. But the drug scene in Iran has changed over the years: more people are using stimulants and there are more and more homeless people who use drugs due to economic circumstances. Mainline sets out to see whether the current programmes in Tehran still fit the needs of the local people who use drugs.
Indonesia
Prisons in Indonesia are often overcrowded and health services are limited. Is quality prison health too expensive? Not according to findings from Atma Jaya University, who applied the method of 'economic modelling' to prison health services, including drug treatment. The findings feed important advocacy messages to improve the prison system in 2021.
Vietnam
October 2019 marked the start of a cutting edge new initiative. With the support of Open Society Foundation, Mainline and SCDI in Vietnam are building expertise to support people who use stimulant drugs. The core motivation to do so is the sharp rise in the use of crystal meth in the South Asian region and the lack of a coordinated harm reduction response.
Kenya
Women who use drugs in Kenya face violence every day. At home. On the streets. By the police. In their communities. A unique study - conducted in Mombasa, Kenya - sheds light on the raw realities these women encounter. Urgent action is needed.
South Africa
Women Who Use Drugs face additional problems in comparison to their male counterparts. The harm reduction field far too often neglects the needs of women. To some extend, the same is true for peer workers: incredibly valuable staff in any impactful service. How can local services make sure that peer workers are valued, supported and living up to their full potential?
South Africa
Together with activists and peer- and outreach workers in South Africa, Mainline worked on a practical guide about involving peers in harm reduction work.
A MAINLINE-GIZ STUDY
With the support of the Global Partnership on Drug Policies and Development (GPDPD), a project implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, a team of three Mainline researchers conducted a study into effective harm reduction interventions for stimulant users. The study includes a review of the evidence for different harm reduction strategies for stimulants and a detailed description of seven good practices in different world regions.
Indonesia, Kenya, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa, Tanzania and Vietnam
The Bridging the Gaps programme started its second phase in January 2016 and continued until the end of 2020. The shared goal of the Bridging the Gaps alliance: to improve the health and rights of people who use drugs, sex workers and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.
In the media
Mainline Magazine
Folders & brochures
Reports: Sober facts on
Reports of conferences
Research
Team
Annual report
Newsletter
Vacancies
Corporate Responsibility
Complaints
Disclaimer & credits
Stichting Mainline
Postbus 58303
1040 HH Amsterdam
info@mainline.nl
Frederik Hendrikstraat 111-115
1052 HN Amsterdam
