Central, East and South Europe and Central Asia is the only region in the world where the rate of new HIV infection continues to grow despite the global tendency for a decline in the numbers of new infections. Equally, literacy and knowledge levels of HIV treatment remains unevenly distributed in many parts of Europe. Numerous surveys and a comprehensive need-assessment research conducted by EATG have revealed that only few activists in the region have skills and knowledge for effective HIV treatment. Most hospitals, healthcare centres do not have information that could be used by PLWH or groups at-risk when needed.

In light of the above, education targeted at specific groups becomes one of the most viable and effective tools for effective response to HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention in the region. Comprehensive continued education programme assist with clinical support, provides effective strategies to maximize attendance to appointment, and ensures adherence to treatment and support to patients who most need it. European AIDS Treatment Group has developed its Continuous Patient Education Project that offers coverage of broad topics, which are important for those who provide and need treatment, care and support.

The Continuous Patient Education Project (CoPE) is a mechanism for funding the translation, layout, publication and dissemination of printed materials relating to HIV/AIDS treatment and quality of life issues of PLWH.

The overall long-term goal of the Project is to outreach to broad regional audience that needs scientifically-accurate, reliable, user-friendly and patient-oriented information on treatment, care, support, and prevention of HIV/AIDS. We envisage that this project will have ‘a cascade effect,’ with the scope of target community encompassing doctors, patients, and groups at-risk. EATG aims at qualitatively improving its e-library and web archive with information that is tailored to the needs of local communities and reflect the most recent and reliable scientific developments in the research on HIV/AIDS. Additionally, the project strives for providing uninterrupted and free access to its publications for all groups who may need it, synchronizing existing partnerships and establishing new networks of PLWH.

The specific objectives of CoPE projects are:

- acquire and promote necessary, objective, reliable and up-to-date knowledge and skills about HIV/AIDS and co-infections among patients, patient groups, groups at-risk, and healthcare providers;

- raise awareness and appreciation of facts and issues related to HIV/AIDS treatment among PLWH (such as women, men who have sex with men, injecting drug users, sex workers, migrant communities and other groups at-risk);

-  develop strategic life skills that would lead to AIDS-free life, elimination of stigma, discrimination, and encourage greater openness concerning HIV/AIDS;

- offer objective, scientifically-accurate, high-quality, patient-focused and user-friendly overview and summary of relevant health and treatment information on specific and generic HIV-related topics and issues;

- engage, support and empower local HIV-positive community for the preparation and development of necessary and relevant treatment materials;

- promote policies, peer-to-peer campaigns and policies that favour equal treatment and access, gender equality, effective learning, knowledge sharing, transfer of skills and best practices.

The Continuous Patient Education Project is designed for doctors, care centres, community groups and other health care professionals working within/outside or in collaboration with hospitals and clinics in the countries of Central, East, South Europe, Central Asia and the Baltic States. EATG conducts transparent selection process and allocates the funds on the basis of the following criteria: demonstrated need, proven record of continued involvement with HIV-related issues; and with realistic potential for impact on local level.

All publications under CoPE project are widely disseminated at local and national level in the target countries. The publications in the format of brochures, fact-sheets, postcards, posters, flyers about HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention are also used as support materials to EATG training activities. Their electronic versions circulate through EATG mailing lists and will be available online on EATG (and other partners) websites. In addition, the project contributes to our continued update of CoPE e-library and web archive found at http://www.eatg.org Furthermore, the materials are used for conducting EATG’s yearly need-assessment questionnaires and reports on the production and dissemination of reliable and accurate information.

A value-added benefit of the project is comprehensive system of reporting and liaising. By providing funding to local partner organisation, we expect the recipients of the funding to report on the impact and scope of dissemination of printed materials. Additionally, we encourage the beneficiaries to establish and foster linkages between local partner organisations in their effort of knowledge sharing and the transfer of skills. Finally, the CoPE team liaises with all relevant patient groups in order to continuously update information on HIV/AIDS treatment and seek new opportunities for dissemination of printed materials through links in external webpages.

If you are interested in applying for funding under CoPE project, please return the completed application form available below to the address indicated on the form. Alternatively, you can email us at cope [at] eatg.org if you may have any further questions.

Below is the list of currently available publications:

Bulgarian

• Introduction to Combination Therapy (HIV i-Base - 2002)   No PDF available
• Avoiding and Managing Side Effects (HIV i-Base - 2003)    No PDF available
• Mieux Vivre avec son Traitement anti-VIH (REMAIDES - 2003)    No PDF available

Czech

• Changing Treatment (HIV i-Base - 2003)    No PDF available
• Changing Treatment (HIV i-Base - 2006)    PDF
• Introduction to Combination Therapy (HIV i-Base - 2003)    PDF
• Avoiding and Managing Side Effects (HIV i-Base - 2003)    PDF

Georgian

• Introduction to Combination Therapy (HIV i-Base - 2002)    PDF
• Glossary (NAM - 2003)    No PDF
• CD4 and Viral Load + HIV and Hepatitis (NAM - 2003)    No PDF

Italian

• Hepatitis C (ABRACO Portugal - 2002)    PDF

Latvian

• Introduction to Combination Therapy (HIV i-Base - 2002)    PDF

Macedonian

• Introduction to Combination Therapy (HIV i-Base - 2001)    No PDF
• Glossary + Clinical Trial + ARV drugs (NAM - 2001)    No PDF

Romanian

• HIV Pregnancy and Women’s Health (HIV i-Base - 2005)    PDF
• Avoiding and Managing Side Effects (HIV i-Base - 2005)    PDF
• Changing Treatment (HIV i-Base - 2005)    PDF
• Introduction to Combination Therapy (HIV i-Base - 2005)    PDF

Russian

• Introduction to Combination Therapy (HIV i-Base - 2001)    PDF
• Introduction to Combination Therapy (HIV i-Base - 2005)    PDF
• Life Goes on, Informative Booklet for Prisoners (Imena+ - 2002)    PDF
• HIV and Hepatitis C + HIV Co-Infection (NATAP - 2003)    PDF

Serbian

• Introduction to Combination Therapy (HIV i-Base - 2004)    PDF

Slovakian

• Introduction to Combination Therapy (HIV i-Base - 2001)    PDF
• Changing Treatment (HIV i-Base - 2002)    PDF
• Avoiding and Managing Side Effects (HIV i-Base - 2002)    PDF
• Adherence to Antiretroviral Treatment +Nutrition (NAM - 2004)   

You can upload further publications from our archive via archive

The original AIDS and Mobility project was launched in 1992 with the purpose to provide HIV and AIDS prevention, care and support to migrants and mobile populations across Europe. In 2008-2011, The European AIDS Treatment Group par-took in the initiative and introduced new component to its structure - HIV prevention. A total of 116 professionals in Turkey, Italy, Estonia, Denmark, the UK and Germany pooled their efforts during their work with migrant communities using capacity building through the concept of "transcultural mediator"  to reduce HIV risk infection. These educators delivered trainings to their local communities relying on the following approaches:

 - peer-based approach - utilizing social status of of a trainer who employs his/her familiarity and connections with the local culture and generates trust and respect among target group; 

 - linguistic approach - delivering information in the language of the key population, thereby ensuring that the information flow goes uninterrupted and without improper comprehensions;

 - culturally appropriate approach - conducting training modules in a manner that is culturally and socially appropriate and corresponds to the norms and values of the key population. The aim is to encourage honest and open discussions while maintaining and respecting cultural sensitivity;

 - setting-based approach - recognizing not only the target group but also the environment, in which the group cohabits. This meas adopting and taking advantage of opportunities that are offered by the "setting" to communicate the message (for instance, local radio, newspapers, places of worship, etc).

For your convenience, the European AIDS Treatment Group has uploaded the English version of "Master Toolkit: Guiding Document. How to Use the AIDS&Mobility Europe Master Toolkit." It contains all relevant information about the project. Upon request, the manuals are available in Albanian, Arabic, Danish, Farsi, French, German, Italian, Kurmanci, Portuguese, Russian, Romanian, Somalian, Spanish, Turkish, and Urdu languages.

Further information about the project can be obtained by contacting Oleksandr Martynenko: oleksandr.martynenko[at] eatg. org or by visiting AIDS&Mobility webpage.

Cobasys is a 3-year project funded by the African, Caribbean and Pacific Science and Technology Programme. The EATG will contribute to the development and adoption of a system of community based health care in fighting HIV/AIDS by sharing experiences, participating in training development and exchange of training materials.

The overall objective of the project CoBaSys is to strengthen the integration of the Southern and Eastern African countries into the European science and technology (S&T) framework, focusing specifically on programmes for quality health care with special attention to community based and patient centred approaches to HIV treatment.

The main specific objective of the project is the development of stable cooperative networks promoting quality health care system in the field of HIV treatment. At this regard the project focus mainly on community approach and participatory method using these methodologies both at community level and at a wider regional level.

With regard to this the project specific objectives are:

- To empower local communities in their fight against HIV/AIDS. Through participatory research and action programme within the identified target areas, it will be possible to identify and review current experiences, perceptions, determinants and proposals for intervention in the provision and uptake of community based, patient centred treatment for HIV and AIDS;

- To generate evidence from target areas with high rates of HIV infection supporting learning on community based and patient centred approaches to HIV treatment from target areas with high endemic HIV infection;

- To set up a stable regional network where the feedback coming from the target areas will be discussed;

- To share pre-existing knowledge as well as knowledge generated by the project via conferences and workshops and presenting the state of the art and the prospects for international cooperation in the field of quality health care policies concerning HIV/AIDS treatment;

- To favour local stakeholders advocacy towards national health policies concerning HIV/AIDS treatment;

- To generate shared learning on HIV/AIDS treatment at the level of national policies and programmes related;

- To demonstrate mutual interest and benefit in scientific cooperation on HIV/AIDS at Euro-African level.