ARAS - Romanian Association Against-Aids

ARAS Branch in Timisoara was registered in 2003. We started to run the main project(“HIV prevention among vulnerable people at risk by outreach services”) that ARAS implemented in Bucharest addressed to vulnerable groups: sex workers, street children, Roma population, injectable drug users. The projects activities were designed to answer vulnerable groups needs in the area HIV/AIDS/STI prevention, medical care, psychological support and social assistance. The team included professional educators, psychologist, nurse and social workers. In Timisoara the activities were carried out with a Social Ambulance. The services provided are: HIV/AIDS/STI risk assessment and risk reduction, primary medical care, HIV, Hepatitis C Virus and Hepatitis B Virus counseling and testing, psychological support, social assistance, referrals to other medical and social services, information and education, materials distribution, needles exchange, safe injection equipment distribution, condoms distribution, and transportation to other services. We worked together with other relevant organizations in the region( state institutions, hospitals, non-governmental organizations) on the basis of cooperation protocols respecting the rights of beneficiaries, protecting confidentiality and their right to self-determination. We are the only organization in the area providing outreach services for different vulnerable groups in the places where they work and live.We organized local trainings/ workshops addressed to representatives of public authorities, representatives of non-governmental organizations, journalists on the issue of vulnerable groups (social research ,advocacy and human rights, anti-discrimination policies, national legislation and international recommendations, appropriate types of interventions). We have organized informing and rising awareness campaigns during special days devoted to the fight against HIV and commemoration of people who have died from HIV complications: World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. The Candlelight Memorial proposes every year to bring back in the memory and hearts the image of our people who died of AIDS and to launch an impulse to solidarity and respect towards the HIV infected people.In the same time, this commemoration proposes to sensitize and rally all the existent resources, from the political environment to the business one, from the people affected by HIV/AIDS to the medical and psycho-social assistance staff, in order to engage all the necessary resources for the change of HIV trend in our country.