All of our activities are based on five fields:

1. Work on prevention of HIV/AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and substance abuse by implementation of peer education program
2. Psychosocial help to HIV+ persons, their families, friends and partners
3. Public relation and campaigns for raising level of knowledge about HIV/AIDS
4. Fight against stigma and discrimination
5. Work with vulnerable groups


On-going projects

Raising awareness about HIV/AIDS among vulnerable groups in Montenegro

Through its work up to now, CAZAS has come to the conclusion that problem of HIV/AIDS is especially present with certain groups (Roma, internally displaced persons, refugees, men having sex with men, prisoners) in Montenegro, and that those groups are not so accessible and they lack true information about HIV/AIDS. Because of that CAZAS planned prevention work with members of these groups in the forthcoming period.  

In the first year of the project education of RAE population (Roma, Ashkaelia and Egyptians), which are internally displaced persons, was implemented in a couple of stages. In the first part of the project educators of CAZAS visited camps in which this population lives and through questionnaires and interviews with inhabitants of these camps we got insights into real educational needs of that population.  In the second stage we started with education of this group, through holding lectures and workshops, and creating info packages specially adapted to this population, and their distribution.  

In the second year of the project, we trained members of RAE population who are now continuing work in their community. Workshops are held in the premises of Local Community, while info spots in camps are led by two representatives of RAE population, with the help from CAZAS’ educator. After Podgorica, educational workshops are to be held in Nikšić.  

Raising awareness about HIV/AIDS among men having sex with men in Montenegro is implemented in the way that, through making direct and indirect contacts with members of this population, we are examining their level of knowledge about HIV/AIDS and STIs, and educational-preventive material is adapted to this population. In the second year of the project MSM info telephone was introduced, after whose indirect promotion calls of users are expected.  

Within the project we are also working on psycho-social help and strengthening of persons living with HIV/AIDS in Montenegro, and as a part of that self-support group functions, as well as advocacy, training and informal meetings.

Project is supported by DFID, in partnership with Imperial College from London, OSI from New York and UNDP office in Belgrade, and is a part of HPVPI (Initiative for HIV prevention among vulnerable populations).


Open with prisoners

Montenegrin Association against AIDS - CAZAS, in partnership with Youth Cultural Center- JUVENTAS is realizing a project “Open with prisoners”. Target groups in this project are prisoners in State Penitentiary (Correctional Facility) in Spuz, and under-aged delinquents in the Institute for under-aged delinquents in Podgorica. The basic aim of this project is prevention of risky behavior among target groups, as well as prevention of STDs. Our target groups had previously been identified as vulnerable in the field of HIV/AIDS in research done by Imperial College among vulnerable groups in Serbia and Montenegro.

Main aims of the project are:

• Identifying specific needs and methods of education through seven focus groups and 15 interviews with prisoners and employees in prison.
• Training of 70% of the personnel in these institutions and 15 volunteers for the prevention of risky behavior.
• Providing with information, developing of skills and ways of controlling risky behavior and prevention of HIV/AIDS and other STDs.

Project is supported by DFID, in partnership with Imperial College from London, OSI from New York and UNDP office in Belgrade, and is a part of HPVPI (Initiative for HIV prevention among vulnerable populations).


VCT – Voluntary Counseling and Testing for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA)

In cooperation with Institute for health and supported by Project HOPE, CAZAS established Center for providing pre and post counceling with persons who want to get tested on HIV. Center works as a part of Institute for heath, and besides educators from CAZAS, renown doctors from the Institute for health work there. All the persons working in VCT Center have been provided constantly with trainings and supervisions.

The aims of this project are:

- To establish comprehensive and high-quality VCT service in Montenegro and provide psychosocial and legal help to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA);
- Promote awareness among target populations of the availability of high quality VCT services;
- To fight against stigmatization and discrimination of PLWHA;

The project is supported by Project HOPE and SIDA.


PLWHA Center

Under sponsorship of Project Hope, Montenegrin Association against AIDS – CAZAS began with realization of project Center for legal aid and psychosocial help to the people living with HIV/AIDS, within AIDS Info hotline will work. This line can use everyone who wants to set up a meeting or to adress for help. Realization period of this project is one year. In the Center, everyone who wants, HIV positive or not, can get information in which they are interested and also to get help, legal or psychological.


Project „Healthy life styles against drug abuse“

The project “Healthy lifestyles against substance abuse” will deal primary with drug abuse in Montenegro, as it is written in “Action plan for prevention of drug abuse for children and youth in Montenegro.” This document was brought to attention by the government of Montenegro in year 2003. This document indicates that the NGOs are strategic partner and one of the activity carriers within the action plan.

The aim of the project is to reduce drug abuse among youth in Montenegro. This work will be separated in two parts. The first part will be a detailed program of peer education in high schools within Montenegro. The second part is work with parents; actually this will be a sharing of information on prevention of drug abuse. Therefore, our target groups are high school student and their parents. The project will be implement in 45 high schools, and with this it will be covered 34 000 young people, and approximately the same number of parents.

With this project it will be created a peer network in the area of drug abuse in Montenegro, as well as the network of school pedagogues and psychologists who will work with parents.

As far as creating the peer network, the following activities will be conducted:

• Training for trainers for 20 people in the area of prevention from drug abuse
• Training for trainers for 20 people for monitoring and evaluation of peer education work
• Training for 270 people to become peer educators in their school.

With peer education it will be accomplished the following:

1. information on different types of drugs and its impact on health
2. alteration of attitudes on drug abuse
3. raising awareness on different types of pressure for using the drugs
4. learning the techniques of resistance
5. to develop the skills for providing and receiving the help
6. learning to deal with stress and to control the emotions
7. to develop communication skills
8. development of responsibility and decision making on risk behavior.

Therefore, we are trying to reduce certain and familiar number of risk factors (the factors that can be dealt through education system), but in a much greater measure toward strengthen and developing the factors of protection.

With creating the network of school pedagogues and psychologists for work with parents there will be 80 school pedagogues and psychologists trained.

With educating the parents it will be accomplished the following:

1. Information on symptoms/signs when the child is taking the drug
2. Information on types of drugs and its impact
3. Developing the skills for communicating with children, and to “live with them not beside them”
4. Developing the skills for facing the problem when one occurs.

Program of prevention of drug abuse in high schools is, naturally, continuance of the program of prevention of drug abuse in elementary schools, which is being conducted for some time. It is focused on young people who already undergone preventive education in elementary school, and its comprehensiveness implies that it is focused on both, the one who are not using drugs and those who are. The aim of the project is to inform and develop protection skills, affirmation of healthy life styles and strengthening of initiative of young people, as well as, belief that drug abuse is not a compulsory part of “the culture of the young”. Prevention in schools instructs on active process which enables that children and the young face the challenges of life and their developing phases, creating and encouraging the conditions which are developing healthy habits and life styles. In that sense, aims of prevention and education are mutually compatible.

As we said before, our work on prevention will mainly be conducted through the method of workshops – trainers’ Training, educators’ Training and peer education that they will conduct in schools, as well as pedagogues’ and psychologists’ Training and their further work with parents.

Basic strategy of preventive education presumes, not only knowledge acquiring, but also a certain level of behavioral change. Only when emotional experience, that is connected with a certain problem (ex. substance abuse), is encouraged, and which is manifested through understanding of own and else’s experience and acts, through bearing of ourselves and others, through life style etc., only then can be enabled a change in behavior of a person, which a preventive program is aiming to encourage. This kind of concept of preventive education thoughtfully puts activity of individual ahead of the educator, and shifts methodology in that way. Workshop is efficient, economic and stimulant way of work of preventive education with groups.      
 
Naturally, Trainings for trainers and peer educators will be more concentrated on adopting of skills for work with groups, facilitation, communication and knowledge transfer.  
Within this project there will be several manuals and booklets printed (The manuals for trainers, peer educators, school workers- pedagogues and psychologists, and booklet for parents). The booklet for parents will contain all information on drug abuse and on symptoms. Also, there will be information on services and institutions that can be contacted in case of drug abuse. We plane to print 34 000 copies of this booklet, because we believe that will be an approximate number of parents that will be impacted with this program. For creation and design of these printed materials within the first 4 months of this program will be in charge experts from the Ministry of Health, and Ministry of education in Government of the Republic of Montenegro.

The duration of this project is 18 months, with ambition to continue it after this period. The project will be implemented throughout 21 municipalities in Montenegro. The project will be implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of education. The partner in this project is “Youth center of Montenegro”, that will be in charge of external monitoring and evaluation.

This is EU-funded project managed by the European Agency for Reconstruction.