Category: UK Project

Re:Assure Women’s Programme

Re:Assure Women’s Project is a specialists programme that is targeted to, and tailored for, HIV positive women who are in crisis and have experienced, or are living in, environments of domestic violence, are survivors of abuse and severe trauma, e.g. rape and forced marriage and those who are refugees or asylum seekers.  All of whom are considered at higher risk of poor mental health, lower ART adherence, lower rates of accessing services, severe isolation and are at increased susceptibility to future and continued abuse.

Primary activities include: one-to-one psychological therapy, peer support, group support, and workshops. Through these activities, Re:Assure is able to build women’s independence, self-esteem and confidence to live well with HIV free from violence and abuse. The project provides opportunities to: develop the tools required to overcome past trauma and abuse and addresses fear, stigma and shame; increase understanding of HIV and the practicalities of sexual relationships and their rights under law; increase knowledge regarding domestic violence, the different forms it can take and how it can make someone feel; develop feelings of empowerment to leave abusive relationships and confidence to manage future relationships.

Over a year, 150 women will participate in, and benefit from Re:Assure.

Positive East

We are London’s leading community-based HIV charity, providing better futures for people living with HIV or affected by HIV. We do instant HIV tests in more places than anyone else.

We have a wide range of practical and complementary services for people living with HIV. These include individual counselling and advice sessions, support groups, help getting your correct benefit entitlements as well as courses, information and various free services. Working in partnership with other HIV charities and health care professionals in London, we will always signpost you to who can help you the best.

About Us

Positive East has been on the forefront of HIV service and care for over 25 years; supporting people from point of HIV diagnosis to longer term care. Guided by our mission – to improve the quality of life of individuals and communities affected by HIV – we have developed a holistic range of health and wellbeing programmes from counselling to workshops to HIV testing and prevention.

All activities aim to increase wellbeing, self-esteem, community integration, confidence, medical adherence and optimism and make a direct and tangible impact in the lives of people living with HIV. In total, we provide direct support to 4,000 people through service provision and HIV testing every year.

Living well with HIV

For most people who are diagnosed before the virus has done too much damage to your immune system (and if you think you might have been exposed to HIV but aren’t sure, come and get a free test) your life expectancy will probably not be any less than it would have been anyway. Providing you take your medication when you should (Doctors refer to this as ‘adherence’) you should be able to live well with HIV for the rest of your life.

This in itself presents lots of challenges, not least accepting a new reality and getting others to accept it too.

Over 10,000 people in London don’t know they are HIV positive. Get a free HIV test HERE

Our vision is a society where everyone can make positive choices about their own sexual health and wellbeing.
Every year we answer thousands of questions about sexual health through our website and publications. We help parents talk to their children about growing up, support health professionals, campaign for better sexual health services and fight for the rights of all young people to have high-quality relationships and sex education.

Vision and mission statements
Our mission is to champion people’s right to sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing through advocacy, campaigning, education and information.
Our values:
• FPA values integrity, equality and diversity.
• FPA values open and honest communication.
• FPA values high quality and innovation in everything we do.

Background
FPA was part of an instrumental movement pioneering the rights of women and men to have the freedom to control their fertility through contraception. In 1930 we set up the National Birth Control Council with 20 family planning clinics ‘so that married people may space or limit their families and thus mitigate the evils of ill-health and poverty’.

Since then, FPA has contributed significantly to a social and sexual revolution which has changed and improved the lives of millions, including securing free contraception provision through the NHS since 1974.                            In 2013, sexual and reproductive health services in England experienced significant change with the implementation of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 transferring responsibility for public health to local authorities. We now operate in an environment in which funding has been significantly reduced. Following the success of the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy, there is also less of a policy focus on sexual and reproductive health, while the underlying threat to the abortion rights continues. In Northern Ireland, abortion continues to be legal in only very particular circumstances.
Sex and relationships education (SRE) is still not statutory in all schools and we continue to live in a society that can be embarrassed to talk openly about sex. Communicating information is a core aspect of our work. We have worked with the Department of Health, and more recently with Public Health England, to provide a comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information service to the public and professionals. The government digital-first approach has had a significant impact on the way we distribute information. As we embrace digital transformation we aim to continue as the leading provider of sexual and reproductive health information and ensure that no one is excluded from receiving high-quality information. As one of the leading sexual health charities in the UK we work for sexual and reproductive health and rights for people of all ages, encompassing contraception, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), pregnancy choices including abortion, sex and relationships education (SRE), sexuality, sexual wellbeing and pleasure.

This reflects the principles of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) Declaration of Sexual Rights, which states that having sexual rights adds to the freedom, equality and dignity of all people. FPA is the UK Member Association of IPPF.

Our work is underpinned by the principle that all citizens in the UK have the right to access high-quality information, education, and sexual and reproductive health services without prejudice.

NLTSG provides support to people in the UK who have been living with HIV and AIDS for five or more years. Founded in 1992 and incorporated as a charity in 1994, at a time when reaching five years with an HIV diagnosis was a significant milestone, the organisation remains as relevant today as it was back in the early 1990s; people may be living longer and with better health, but issues around stigma, isolation, relationships and many others remain the same.

The main activity of NLTSG is the organising of the “Living Proof” weekend retreats. The weekends provide a safe, relaxed place to meet other people who have also been living with HIV for five or more years. The weekend retreats for long-term survivors are very relaxed and those attending can choose how much, or how little, they take part in the organised activities during the weekend. The “Living Proof” weekend retreats cost £170 per person. This covers the cost of the accommodation and all meals, as well as contributing to the cost of the facilitators, complementary therapists and the running of the organisation. They currently hold funding, including a grant from The Make A Difference Trust, which means that they can subsidise the cost of the weekend so that everyone only needs to pay £95.

At the end of each weekend they ask all who have attended to complete an evaluation form. This allows them to assess what they are doing well, and what they could be better.

The final question on the evaluation form asks people to sum up the weekend in one sentence. Some of the comments include:

• A fulfilling weekend of enjoyment and love
• Emotional and empowering
• Enjoyable, relaxing, informative
• Excellent weekend for support and meeting like-minded people
• Good time away from home and mixing with others

The Food Chain exists to ensure that people living with HIV in London can access the nutrition they need to get well, stay well and lead healthy independent lives. They reduce barriers to good nutrition and they address broader issues of poverty, ill-health and social isolation experienced by many people living with HIV.

Many people living with HIV struggle to make ends meet. Poverty, ill-health and isolation can prevent people from accessing the food they need, leading to poor diet and putting their health and the health of their dependants at risk.

‘Eating Together At Weekends’ is a communal lunch service provided by The Food Chain, which aims to alleviate poverty and reduce the isolation experienced by people living with HIV in London, by bringing them together over a hot nutritious meal and some good conversation at weekends. Weekends are a particularly difficult time for people who are socially isolated and living on low incomes as there is less availability of support services than on a week day. The service is also designed to improve participants’ overall health, energy levels and confidence, offering opportunities to meet new people, share experiences and learn more about healthy eating and relevant topics.

As a result of the Eating Together At Weekends project, people living with HIV are expected to benefit in the following ways:

 

• Improved physical health as a result of increased consumption of nutritious food.
• Reduced financial pressure and improved economic status.
• A greater understanding of dietary requirements and the types of food they need to access.
• Better food preparation skills and recipe knowledge.
• Reduced isolation with increased opportunities for regular social contact and peer support.
• Increased confidence, self-esteem and motivation, leading to improved mental well-being.
• Enhanced ability to live independently in the community as a result of signposting to a range of support and services.

NAT is the UK’s leading charity dedicated to transforming society’s response to HIV. They provide fresh thinking, expertise and practical resources. They champion the rights of people living with HIV and campaign for change.

Shaping Attitudes – Challenging Injustice – Changing Lives

The case for HIV Support Services project is focused on developing an agreed minimum pathway for non-clinical HIV support services. These support services are designed to meet a range of psychological needs of people living with HIV in the UK. The three phases of the project will:

• Identify those services most valued by people living with HIV service providers and clinicians;
• Develop the evidence base for the efficacy of these services and an evidence-based care pathway for non-clinical HIV support services;
• Undertake a gap analysis to establish what services local authorities are currently commissioning and how these compare to the recommended pathway;

The project will develop tools which will enable commissioners to commission the right services to meet the needs of people living with HIV, and for third sector HIV support services to make the case for the provision of quality HIV services.

Africa Advocacy Foundation was established in 1996 to address increasing health inequality gaps within African communities in the UK and particularly to tackle increasing HIV/AIDS prevalence levels among Africans at a time of very low awareness levels, limited HIV treatment opportunities and widespread HIV stigma and discrimination. This is achieved through practical support, advocacy, campaigns, information, advice, guidance and training.

The HIV Peers Educators Project is a beneficiary led programme training 20 HIV positive Africans in South London as peer educators to support 50 newly diagnosed individuals in accessing services. It aims to empower and equip men and women living with HIV in South London with the skills and tools necessary to reach out and support other newly HIV diagnosed and vulnerable peers through mentorship, information, advice and guidance.

The Project will deliver a structured peer educator-training programme focusing on the peer educator roles, qualities, basic HIV info, communication and basic counselling skills. It is expected that the training provided will equip the educators with competency to support and empower others to access appropriate information, treatment and care services and improve their health and wellbeing.

The 20 trained advocates will assist the beneficiaries to understand and make better use of services in hospitals, GUM clinics, GPs, Maternity services etc. as well as involvement in networks and initiatives such as the local health boards, patient reference groups, HIV networks, meetings, conferences e.g. BHIVA, UKCab etc. The beneficiaries will also be supported to maximise the use of available HIV treatment services and patient resources available across the board.

It is expected that the support provided by the peer educators through mentorship, information, advice and guidance will inspire confidence, reduce stigma, isolation and increase the physical and emotional wellbeing of all project beneficiaries.

The Positive? Awareness of and Attitudes to HIV in the UK project is the third phase of a three-part programme that sees the development and dissemination of a multi-media educational resource and campaign package for schools to promote HIV awareness and stigma reduction. The kit will be used as a curriculum based product in 6,500 schools in the UK, as well as at a host of round table events with the Department of Education, and national screenings across the UK for ‘National Schools Film Week’.

The robust findings from the People Living with HIV (PLHIV) Stigma Index in the UK provided the first systematic evidence that documents PLHIV’s experiences of stigma. The findings have significant implications for policies and practices, including those relating to HIV, as well as health services, poverty, employment, education, social attitudes and immigration. HIV related stigma is well recognised as a hurdle when addressing prevention and care, and creates a stumbling block in ensuring access to essential services. This phase builds on the results and activities in Phases I and II by focusing on schools, young people and teachers to build and promote social change and justice across every school in the UK, with an initial catchment of 6,500 state run schools.

The project seeks to educate young people about the impact of stigmatizing attitudes and beliefs around HIV in the UK. By focusing the development of an ‘HIV stigma-free’ generation the project seeks to improve the quality of lives of PLHIV as well as those most vulnerable to stigma (including men who have sex with men, sex workers and people who use drugs). The project also seeks to enhance the knowledge, awareness and attitudes of young school goers in the UK by providing informed, engaging, and accurate information about sexual and reproductive health and about HIV. In so doing the project also seeks to support more effective stigma-free HIV prevention in schools.

Make a Difference Trust are supporting the costs of Waverley Care’s Financial Benefits Support Project (a part of Waverley Care’s Community Project). The Project helps people living with HIV and Hepatitis C in Edinburgh and the Lothians, and provides service users with finance and benefits advice and support from the team’s Community Project Workers.

Through evaluation and monitoring, Waverley Care know that there are a number of issues affecting people living with HIV and Hepatitis C that impact on their ability to live an independent and healthy life. For instance, the process of having benefits reinstated after being wrongly taken away, can be lengthy and very stressful and, whilst this process is taking place, service users still need to pay their utilities, access food banks and attend health appointments. Financial worries around employment and immigration status can all have a big impact on people and may push people further into isolation from society, with possible mental health consequences.

Addressing these issues by providing support can ultimately improve the lives of people with HIV and reduce the numbers of people living in poverty.

The Cara Trust was founded in 1988 by Father David Randall, following a sabbatical trip to San Francisco encouraged by his bishop at the time.

As well as offering care to those directly affected, through its AIDS Ministry courses Cara helped to work out the radical implications of HIV for all churches and pastoral agencies, given the high incidence of loss amongst gay men and drug users, mostly young and unchurched. Funerals, counselling, complementary therapies, community meals, and religious events were offered through a small inter-denominational staff and many volunteers.

David himself was diagnosed HIV positive in 1988 and sadly died in the London Lighthouse in 1996. In 1997 the new combination therapy drugs began mercifully reducing deaths from HIV and our emphasis shifted to supporting people to live as fully as possible in their various settings. They have continued to develop since then, trying to ensure that they continue to make life better for people living with HIV.

It’s important that Cara continues to be a safe, supportive place for people with HIV. They also provide a challenge for those who are ready, to get actively involved in providing support for others. This emphasis on positive people supporting positive people is one thing that makes Cara a special place.

“Positive solutions to housing problems facing older people with HIV” aims to provide ‘a better life for people living with HIV’, by focussing on supporting people around the key issues of ageing and poverty.

It will deliver a community based service clearly focused on meeting the needs of older people with HIV who are facing up to a transition phase in their housing. Most users of this service live on welfare benefits and suffer from a degree of poverty. The Trust works primarily with clients living in London.

CHIVA is the Children’s HIV association of the UK and Ireland.
It has been a UK registered charity since 2008.

CHIVA works to address the affects of HIV on children and their families. Ensuring every child with HIV in the UK not only has the optimum health care provision, but also the opportunity to access social and peer  support regionally and through our annual national residential support camp. We aim to tackle HIV related stigma and discrimination and to be the voice of children and young people with HIV, ensuring their experiences and opinions are central to the development of CHIVA, health and social care practice, and heard in public forums.

‘Freedom to be’ is CHIVA’s annual residential support camp which brings together a large group of children with HIV (up to 100) aged 11-16 from across the UK and Ireland annually in August for a 5 day residential camp. The camp is comprised of workshops, creative and performance arts, outward bounds and recreational activities and is intended to facilitate the development of peer friendships and support networks in order to address the high level of social isolation experienced by children growing up with HIV. It aims to enhance participants knowledge and understanding of how to live well with HIV through an engaging workshop programme.

Support camp aims to enhance participants’ confidence and self-esteem and by facilitating children’s access to a broader community of people living with HIV provide them with knowledge, support, guidance and inspiration.

 

• An reduced isolation through attending ‘Freedom to be’ and accessing a peer network.
• An enhanced knowledge and understanding of their HIV through attending workshops and organised activities which focus on enhancing HIV knowledge and understanding at ‘Freedom to be’.
• An enhanced emotional well being, a greater acceptance of their HIV and stronger self-efficacy skills as a result of attending ‘Freedom to be’.