History of development

Like most modern branches of the Network, our organization began its activities with an initiative group that was created in 2000.

First steps:

Creation of a self-help group for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) based at a specialized department for HIV-positive and AIDS patients at City Hospital No. 2.
December 2000 – participation of members of the initiative group in the National Conference of PLWHA.
May 2002 – activists of the PLWHA movement in Chernihiv, together with volunteers, organized the first public event on “AIDS Memorial Day.” On this day, the ICTV television channel (Street Television project) held a teleconference between the cities of Poltava, Odessa, Chernihiv, and Kyiv. For the first time, city residents had the opportunity to openly discuss on television the lack of treatment for PLWH and violations of their constitutional rights and freedoms.
October 23, 2003, became a historic date for our organization. It was on this day that the Chernihiv regional branch of the All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH was officially registered.

The first services provided by the staff of the regional branch were:

Lobbying for the interests of PLWH.
Providing psychological assistance to PLWH.
Peer-to-peer counseling.
Transportation of test results.
Conducting self-help groups for PLWHA.

Our first project. In January 2004, the Chernihiv branch began implementing a project for the development of the region. In the same year, our representatives made their first visit to Chernihiv Women’s Correctional Colony No. 44, where an informational session was held for PLWHA. With the support of the Chernihiv Regional Center for Children, Families, and Youth, we were able to start working with women living with HIV who were serving sentences in the colony.

Donors we have worked with:

French charity organization Sidaction.
All-Ukrainian Charitable Foundation “Coalition of HIV Service Organizations.”
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
The International HIV/AIDS Alliance in Ukraine.
UNDP Ukraine.
USAID.
PACT.
The Elena Pinchuk Foundation.
The Ukrainian Civil Health Foundation.

We consider our achievements to be the coverage of more than 1,500 clients in Chernihiv and the region, the development and full functioning of 11 areas of services for PLHIV and their immediate environment, active cooperation with local authorities and other state organizations and non-governmental structures.

In our opinion, it is our diligence, responsibility, moderate care for our clients and their immediate environment, willingness to make joint decisions and compromises, openness, and transparency in relations with partners that have become the key to our current success.

Main areas of work:

• Care and support for people living with HIV
• Social and psychological support for children affected by HIV/AIDS
• Social support for outpatient treatment of people with tuberculosis
• HIV prevention in correctional facilities
• Social support for HIV-infected people in correctional facilities
• Testing of sexual partners and close contacts of people living with HIV using rapid tests.