ONLINE TRAINING – PROMOTING ACTIVE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN LIVING WITH HIV

New Generation Humanitarian NGO (NGNGO) has launched Promoting Active Participation of KPs for Leadership and Development project. The goal of the project is to foster the participation of key populations of Armenia in the processes of budget advocacy. The beneficiaries of the project are MSM and trans* people, women living with HIV and people who use drugs.

On May 25, 2020, an online training took place among women living with HIV. The training was aimed at raising awareness among community activists and developing leadership so that they can further engage in budget advocacy. The participants of the training will be invited to the main training on Budget Advocacy in the future.

Project coordinator Hmayak Avetisyan made an opening speech in the beginning of the course, presented the project, the goal of the project, the beneficiary and target groups, as well as the project actions.

Elena German, the Vice Director for Program Coordination of the Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity (ECOM), delivered the opening speech.

Welcoming the participants, the latter first thanked for starting the trainings in such a format and for organization of unification events for the communities, then presented the works envisaged by the project, the obstacles caused by COVID-19, expressed hope that she would soon be able to meet with the community representatives in Yerevan.

After the welcoming and presentation speeches, Anahit Mkrtchyan, the lawyer of NGNGO, presented to the participants the RA domestic and international legislation in the field of HIV. In particular, he touched upon the rights and responsibilities of people living with HIV, the responsibilities of those who provide medical care and services, and the state. They talked about the rights of people living with HIV, in particular, the restrictions in the field of labor law, violations and protection mechanisms.

The topic of the second part of the course was the importance of the involvement of target groups  in the decision-making processes. Anahit Harutyunyan, president of the Positive People Armenian Network NGO and a trainer, presented the methods of decision-making, the work of the Country Coordinating Mechanism and the importance of community involvement in the decision-making processes. With a motivational speech, she conveyed to the participants the idea that they should stand up for their rights.

The online training took place in a warm atmosphere, with participants having the opportunity to ask questions through comments and receive full answers, as well as express their willingness to be part of the budget advocacy processes in Armenia.