Camargos RJ, Gomes RA; International Conference on AIDS.

Int Conf AIDS. 1998; 12: 493 (abstract no. 24273).

Funcianari Os CEP, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

ISSUE: PLWHIV/AIDS need specific social interventions to help restoring their citizenship awareness and self-esteem. PROJECT: The city of Belo Horizonte-MG, has the 4th biggest rate of HIV/AIDS notified cases in Brazil. Due to these numbers and the demand of PLWHIV/AIDS, a specific project was established. 'Posit(HIV)e Life' provides biopsychosocial, juridical and spiritual support, but most of all, a space for social gathering, cultural events and informal encounters where people can meet and exchange personal information, experience, feelings, as well as talk about mutual or individual problems, thus trying to modify a behaviour of self-isolation and social discrimination. The project also includes one to one information and counselling, spiritual reunions, 'safer sex' workshops, speeches and lectures given by several professionals, specific media campaigns and a journal issued every three months and distributed to related organizations and PLWHIV/AIDS. All activities are followed by the handing out of condoms and among the volunteers involved are psychologists, lawyers, social workers, sociologists, PLWHIV/AIDS and people from the community. RESULTS: There has been an increase in the demand of PLWHIV/AIDS for the support offered by the project. Within a year the number of clients raised from 70 to over 200 per month. The journal has also been very well accepted. People who have taken part in the project activities became less depressed or afraid/worried, showing satisfaction for having done so and a visible feeling of well being, which surely have had direct consequences on their health status. LESSONS LEARNED: The success of the project has showed us that not only medical care but also specific biopsychosocial and spiritual support, contribute to improve the quality of life of PLWHIV/AIDS, leading to self-empowerment and transforming depressed people into multiplier agents of information within their own community.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
• Brazil
• Counseling
• Ego
• HIV Infections
• HIV Seropositivity
• Health Services Needs and Demand
• Humans
• Organizations
• Prejudice
• Reunion
• Safe Sex
• Social Behavior
• education
• organization & administration

Other ID:

• 98395847

UI: 102229390

From Meeting Abstracts