Partners

Association Cultural, Information and Counselling Service Centre Legebitra is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation with the status of a humanitarian organisation in the fields of social security and organisation, working in public interest in the field of health protection. Ever since its formation (1998), the organisation is active in ensuring equality for LGBT+ people, working in discrimination prevention. Our mission is to ameliorate the situation and attitudes towards LGBT people in different areas of their life. We strive to inform and educate by providing a safe space and relevant/accurate information. Regular activities are combined within 4 programmes: LGBT Youth, Counseling & Self-help, hiv/aids Prevention & Testing and Human Rights Education. Furthermore, we monitor human rights violations based on sexual orientation (POVEJ NAPREJ); tackle homophobia in schools (PREBIJMO MOLK!); and strive for equality of LGBT people. We cooperate with sister organisations in Slovenia (ŠKUC, DIH, Peace Institute…) and abroad (ILGA Europe, IGLYO). DIC Legebitra is the applicant organisation and Coordinating partner of the project.

Association ŠKUC – section Magnus has been working with the hiv epidemic related issues since its inception in 1984, when its members organised and started spreading information. They published the first article about this new infection in Viks magazine. In 1985 ŠKUC published the first leaflet about safe sex for gay and other men, who have sex with men (MSM). This counts as the beginning of organised hiv prevention among MSM in Slovenia. Ever since, Section Magnus has been active in hiv prevention, advocacy for rights and support for hiv positive individuals, counselling and training of MSM and volunteers. Very early, they introduced the promotion of the condom and lubricant as the effective protection from infections. Since 2004 they are implementing hiv/STI prevention programme co-financed by the Ministry of health. They are formulating and implementing a wide package of e-learning for different target groups; users, community workers and health workers in public health institutions. This way they will contribute to a higher level of knowledge of all stakeholders and synergy of team work efforts of all partners in the project.

Since 2003 DIH has been working in the field of hiv/aids and STI prevention, physical and mental health of MSM population, psychosocial support and assistance, raising public awareness and providing space for socialization of MSM and LGBT people, their friends and relatives. Since 2005 it has been implementing a program of STI and hiv/aids prevention “Pamet v roke, kondom na glavo! (lit. in Eng.: Be smart, put a condom on your head!”, which fallows the National strategy and campaign action plan and guidelines for hiv prevention and control. Based on its past work and experience DIH leads the implementation and coordination of national outreach and prevention activities in the field: in community spaces where MSM meet to socialize; public cruising areas where MSM meet with the intent to have sex; and in general public places, where MSM randomly meet or will more likely be reached. As a partner DIH plays a main role in creative design, execution and distribution of innovative products of the communication campaign for the sensitization of the MSM population. The partner is executing parts of the research work (field research), contributing its experience in the preparation and execution of various levels of education and cooperation in the implementation of preventive counselling on responsible sexual behaviour, peer2peer and expert counselling.

The institute for microbiology and immunology, University of Ljubljana, executes the blood analysis of samples taken in community based & lead testing events and cooperates in creating a financial model for community based & lead testing within the health system or within health services after the expiration of the project. IMI cooperates in the context of hiv- and other STIs-testing outside health institutions for MSM. The Institute is analysing the samples taken in the field, executing necessary analysis and preparing results for individual users. This way, IMI is solely responsible for the process from the hand over of test tubes until the preparation and interpretation of the results. The analysis provided is for: hiv, hepatitis B, C, syphilis (from blood samples) and anal & throat swab for the gonorrhoea agent. The involvement of the Institute as a partner in the project is key, it allows for laboratory aspects of testing. Secondly, the partner contributes in preparing a systemic solution for financing the analysis of samples taken outside health institutions. One of the planned results of the project is a proposal of a co-financing model for community based & lead testing and its positioning within the financial framework of the health insurance system.

Department of infectious diseases and febrile illnesses of University Clinical centre Ljubljana cooperates as a partner in the section Research and Education. Indirectly, the Department will also be involved in reaching results of testing on hiv and STI in community. With its experts in hiv treatment, they will contribute in educating the other partners in the areas of counseling and hiv community-based testing, as well as communicating the hiv positive diagnosis to individuals within MSM population. The department is the destination to which all positively diagnosed individuals will be oriented, therefore its cooperation is vital for project success. They are important project partners due to their specific experience and expertise: understanding medical aspects of hiv epidemic among MSM, understanding the problematic of facing hiv infection and understanding and scientific contributions related to questions of the relationship between hiv infection and national prevention in the field of hiv infection. It is also the point where the most important experiences of ways and circumstances of infection among MSM are gathered, this is crucial for the formulation of new prevention strategies. As partner in this project, they will share their specific and exclusive experiences as well as knowledge in the project framework with other partners.