100% Life, together with Deutsche Aidshilfe, is launching a new project for Ukrainians with HIV in Germany
Deutsche Aidshilfe, 100 PERCENT LIFE Germany, and the National HIV/AIDS Hotline have joined forces to improve access to medical services and mental health support in Germany for Ukrainian migrants living with HIV and members of key populations.
The German organization of people living with HIV, Deutsche Aidshilfe, the European representative office of the charitable organization 100% Life 100 PERCENT LIFE Germany and the National HIV/AIDS Hotline have joined forces to improve access to medical services and mental health support in Germany for Ukrainian migrants living with HIV and members of key communities.
The new project, supported by the Elton John AIDS Foundation, will help create a user-friendly navigation system for medical services in Germany for Ukrainians living with HIV, community members, and anyone seeking to take care of their health.
According to the UN, there are more than 1.2 million Ukrainian refugees in Germany; people living with HIV and members of key populations constantly face barriers to accessing treatment due to self-stigma, lack of knowledge of the language and the local healthcare system, and the need for mental health support.
According to estimates by the Regional Group on Migrant Health, there are between nearly 1,000 and more than 5,300 Ukrainians with HIV in Germany, and more than 17,000 members of communities vulnerable to HIV. At the same time, there are delays in accessing ARV drugs due to patients' lack of knowledge of procedures and bureaucratic processes, and key groups face barriers to accessing medical services, including language and territorial barriers. The project will create a convenient, user-friendly, and accessible IT solution, drawing on the experience of DATACHECK UKRAINE, a well-known Ukrainian digital brand that is familiar to HIV patients and service providers in Ukraine.
DATACHECK Connect will direct users to the most relevant service providers in Germany: prevention and treatment services, social services, legal advice, mutual support groups, shelters, etc. Users will also have access to assisted telephone translation services during visits to German doctors.
The second component of the project is cooperation with the National HIV Hotline in Ukraine, which will provide the opportunity to receive counseling in one's native language. We strive to support the mental and psychological health of Ukrainians with HIV who have been forced to leave Ukraine and need psychological assistance. We are creating a culturally sensitive and trustworthy point of entry for key populations and, directly, people living with HIV. The legal chatbot, the third component of the project, will also become part of the DATACHECK Connect ecosystem. It will allow users to get answers to the most common questions about German legislation in the field of HIV/AIDS, human rights, and infectious diseases.
100 PERCENT LIFE gGmbH in Germany is the European representative office of the largest patient organization in Ukraine, the charitable organization 100% Life. The organization was created to expand opportunities to help Ukrainian patients, in particular people living with HIV and representatives of communities who were forced to leave Ukraine. Deutsche Aidshilfe is the German AIDS Service Organization, which brings together about 120 regional member organizations across the country. DAH has been supporting people with HIV in Germany for over 40 years. The national HIV hotline has been operating in Ukraine since 2003. You can now request a free call from abroad at http://saapf.kiev.ua/ The Elton John AIDS Foundation was founded in 1992 and is one of the world's leading independent organizations working on HIV/AIDS issues. Its mission is simple: to end the HIV epidemic. The Foundation strives to overcome the stigma, discrimination, and neglect that prevent the spread of the disease. By bringing together a network of generous donors and partners, the Foundation funds local experts who fight discrimination, prevent new infections, provide treatment, and influence governments to end the AIDS epidemic.