Project title

The main goal of the project is to reduce the drug use and the negative impact of injecting drug use (including criminality, spread of infections, etc.) for individuals, their families and community, trying to attract drug users and their partners to institutions providing health and social services, aiming to reduce drug overdose or other drug related mortality, to motivate service receivers for treatment and to integrate them into society.

Project objectives:

• To establish and maintain new contacts and relations with service receivers, their partners and family members and to provide them information on accessibility to health care, social services and legal consultations.
• To provide harm reduction services for the individuals who are not ready to stop injecting drugs.
• To motivate service receivers to stop using drugs, to reduce risky behaviour and get treatment if needed.
• To inform or direct service receivers to institutions / organization where they could receive health and social services, legal consultations and to involve them into rehabilitation, re-socialization and integration to the society programmes, to refer them to anonymous self-help groups.
• To reduce environmental pollution and harm to the society, encouraging service receivers to bring used needles and syringes to mobile bus, where utilization is organized, instead of throwing them into environment.
• To educate and teach service receivers, their partners and family members about infections and drug dependency.

Implementing the project harm reduction services were provided in the mobile clinic (adjusted minibus) near Vilnius Roma Community once a week and in Visaginas City every second week. Activities for the inmates took place every week in Marijampolė Correction House. Going to Vilnius and Visaginas personnel group was composed of one nurse, one social worker, 4 consultants / street workers (former drug users among them), 2-4 volunteers (former drug users). Going to Marijampolė Correction House personnel group was composed of one social worker, 2 consultants (former convicts), 1-2 volunteers (former convicts).

The following harm reduction services were provided near Vilnius Roma Community and in Visaginas City: needle and syringe exchange, distribution of disinfectants, condoms, bandages, health education and teaching, information provision, consultations, transportation services, mediation and representation, provision of tee, coffee and biscuits during consultations, health education workshops, etc.

Drug using individuals were referred to fixed harm reduction service sites, motivated for treatment and taken to detoxication and rehabilitation centres.

The following services were provided in Marijampolė Correction House: health teaching and education, information provision, consultations, mediation and representation, workshops and lectures for inmates.

Main indicators:

• Number of syringes distributed - 7295;
• Number of needles distributed - 8525;
• Number of disinfectants distributed - 1566;
• Number of condoms distributed - 351;
• Number of bandages distributed - 676;
• Number of health teaching and education provided - 363;
• Number of information provisions - 2309;
• Number of consultations - 655;
• Number of transportation services provided to clients - 35;
• Number of provided mediation and representation services - 43;
• Number of drug users who where motivated for treatment and taken to detoxication or rehabilitation centres - 35;
• Number of inmates who participated in workshops and lectures - 77.

UNODC budget