UNODC is cosponsor of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS - UNAIDS
Project G86 : Project Description
What is G86
The findings and recommendations of the National Survey suggested a broad prevention programme to prevent the onset of drug use by providing accurate information and life skills training and also suggested selective prevention targeting specific sub-groups. Based on this, in 2005, the Project G86-'Empowering communities on primary prevention of drugs and HIV' was launched as an overall strategy of UNODC to assist the Government in prevention and reduction of the use of drugs and the spread of drug-related HIV in India and to strengthen the capacity of government and civil society organizations to prevent drug abuse and scale-up interventions, thus reducing the harmful consequences of drug use, especially HIV.
The national survey has clearly shown that the drug problem has moved out from the urban areas to the rural areas and moved on to injecting. This, added to the increasing numbers of HIV positive people, makes for a worrying mixture. The increasing spread of drug abuse, increasing injecting use, low coverage of drug users with existing institutions and approaches has created a sense of urgency among the policy makers.
Target group: The approach is to use development methodologies and ensure participation and involvement of key stakeholders from government, civil society including communities, young people and infected and affected people. However, the direct beneficiaries of the project will be the young people in and out of school, NGOs, Community Based Organisations, Regional Resource Training Centers (RRTC) and governmental agencies and the indirect beneficiaries would be users and people affected and afflicted by drug abuse and linked HIV.
4 PILLARS OF THE PROJECT
The project has four main pillars
A school-based programme for drug awareness for in and out of school children - The school prevention programme looks at integrating drug education into the school text books age appropriately, using a co curricular approach using life skills and developing a Life Skill tool kit for out-of-school children.
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A national drug awareness campaign using multimedia and inter personal communication approaches - The project has developed a comprehensive National awareness campaign - 'I decide' or 'Yeh Mera Faisla' for drugs and HIV prevention among young people involving key stakeholders and influencers across the country. The campaign was launched on 26th June 2006, the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking by the Hon'ble Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ms. Meira Kumar.
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Peer Led Intervention Awareness Programme - This community led awareness programme or peer led intervention attempts to mobilize peers to spread awareness among the communities and young people on drugs and HIV prevention, care and support. A cascade approach of involving and building capacity of peers is becoming a cost-effective option for engaging with young people/peers and creating a stake in the process of reducing the risk and vulnerabilities related to substance use and HIV/AIDS in the North east.
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A network of women's self help groups driven by peer volunteers - The project works on the establishment of support groups of affected and afflicted women /spouses of drug users to provide psychosocial support. They are capacitated by the Peer Educators to access available health related services, legal, besides this, knowledge and information on HIV/AIDS/ STD; safer sexual practices are being imparted. Some of the SHGs' have started initiating small income generating activities and are able to support the educational need of their children and supplement the household income.
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