Harm Reduction Advocacy in Asia (2017-2021)

The Global Fund-supported regional Harm Reduction Advocacy in Asia programme was implemented by Alliance India from 2017 onwards and extended to 2021. Together with in-country partners in Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, the programme advocated for policy & legal reform to create enabling environment for PWUD, engaged community towards sustained HIV & drug use response, created evidence for redesigning of harm reduction response, and advocated for sustainable financing for harm reduction.   Some of the notable achievements of the programme include, developing e-learning training manual for law enforcement officials titled  ‘Training manual for Law enforcement officials on HIV service provision for people who inject drugs’  to institutionalise in the training curriculum of police training centres.  In 2018, in collaboration with the United Religions Initiative (URI), India HIV/AIDS Alliance under HRAsia grant of the Global Fund, launched a unique initiative to build bridges between harm reduction and faith-based communities called ‘Faith for Harm Reduction’. The initiative was one of its kind in India dedicated to building capacity and mobilizing community at the intersection of harm reduction and faith-based assemblies. Continuing to strengthen the imitative, a training manual was developed for the harm reduction champions in the faith based community (FBOs). The manual will be further pilot tested in India initially. Subsequently, it will be adapted and circulated in the Asia region using e-learning and other opportunities through the virtual platforms.   Moreover, in collaboration with technical partners, academic institution, Government of Punjab and community members of the women who use drugs (WUD), the programme also developed a “one stop shop” model for WUD. The services in the “one stop shop” model includes Harm Reduction services, drug rehabilitation, SRH, Gender based violence redressal services, HIV, HCV and TB. This joint collaborative initiation focusses on developing a comprehensive health and human rights based model recommended by WHO. The pilot initiative started with only one WUD in February 2019; today is a strong programme servicing 235 women with clinical and psychosocial interventions every day. Inspired by this unique model, countries like Indonesia and Nepal are already replicating this model facilitated by Alliance India through a knowledge sharing, capacity building and study tours to and from the facility in Kapurthala to key Asian countries.   HRAsia programme also supported Asia Network of People Who Use Drugs (ANPUD) in developing the community based quality monitoring system (CBQMS). Alliance India introduced the CBQMS tool to the country partners of the Harm Reduction Asia Project.