Women Making a Difference
Helping Girls through the HIV Youth Prevention Alliance
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"Anna"
Source: USAID |
Anna (not her real name) was born in 1990 in the city of Cherepovets, 275 miles east of Russia’s second largest city, St. Petersburg. When she was 6, she was taken away from her mother, who lost her parental rights due to alcoholism. Her grandfather took care of her for the next year until her father got out of prison. The following year, the two of them moved to St. Petersburg. But without adequate care and support on the part of her father, Anna began to spend most of her time on the street.
Frequently absent from school, Anna started begging for money to support a drug habit that got her in trouble with the police on many occasions. By 2007, either by sharing needles or from unprotected sex, Anna had contracted HIV. Throughout this time, Anna lived at a number of government-run children’s shelters, never staying long at any of them. She was officially registered as homeless by the city of St. Petersburg, where an estimated 10,000 vulnerable youth have an alarming 37 percent prevalence of HIV and almost no municipal infrastructure to address their needs.
Things began to turn around for Anna in June 2009, when she enrolled in a unique halfway house program for young HIV-positive drug addicts. The program was established by a USAID-supported public-private partnership called the HIV Youth Prevention Alliance, implemented by HealthRight International and Doctors to Children (DTC) together with the St. Petersburg city government. From the very beginning of Anna’s rehabilitation, the project psychologist worked with her both individually and in group settings, benefitting from a complete range of psychological and social rehabilitation services.
| “I did not expect to be given a chance for improvement,” Anna recalls. “Street life, alcohol, then drugs and HIV – I was getting worse and worse, thinking I did not want to live anymore. But it all suddenly started to change, thanks to the project. I was no more afraid of my HIV status. I began to take treatment; now, I’m feeling much better. But my number one change is that I made up with my father – my only relative.”
– "Anna" |
Anna was supported in her follow-up by the Regional AIDS Center, continuing an antiretroviral drug program she started at the HealthRight halfway house. Also, to ensure her social integration, HealthRight/DTC staff provided her with vocational counseling and assistance in professional training and employment. After successfully completing a short-term confectionery and cooking course, Anna was officially certified as a cook; with HealthRight/DTC support, she was employed by one of the cafes in the city. The halfway house staff also worked with Anna’s father to help him reconnect with his daughter and resolve his own psychological issues. As a result, the man made a decision to start supporting his daughter and to rent a room for her.
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"Anna"
Source: USAID |
In August 2010, Anna graduated from the program, having accomplished all the goals that she and the staff set for her. During her time at the halfway house, she learned social adaptation skills, mended her relationship with her father, and resolved her housing issues. She quit her drug habit and has stayed on the antiretroviral treatment, which has improved her immune system. As she is now employable, Anna has a better shot at a stable future; the halfway house staff continues to provide her with post-rehabilitation assistance.
“The halfway house made me stronger, more independent and confident,” Anna says. “Now, I have a job and can afford to rent my own place. There’s no going back to the past. What I dream about now is meeting someone who would love me despite my previous life, someone willing to understand and support me, someone I could rely on.”
To date, HIV Youth Prevention Alliance has reached more than 5,000 individuals, with 720 children returning to their families and 153 children placed in foster care. The community drop-in center has served 645 HIV-positive youth, and another 45 adolescents have become residents of the halfway house. A package of best practices in HIV prevention will soon be disseminated to government institutions and nongovernmental organizations across St. Petersburg.
Story provided by USAID/Russia
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