Over 25,000 people participated in Russia in the nationwide campaign of the Russian Red Cross (the RRC), which is the oldest humanitarian organization in the country. The event was timed to coincide with World AIDS Day. More than 700,000 people participated online. Events aimed at supporting and educating about HIV and AIDS took place in more than 60 Russian regions.
A large-scale All-Russian event of the Russian Red Cross, timed to coincide with World AIDS Day, was held fr om November 27 to December 3. The aim of the event was to accentuate the importance of preventing the disease, reducing stigma and expanding access to HIV testing.
“This event is not just a step towards in the fight against HIV/AIDS, but also an important event to reduce stigma for people with HIV-positive status. Our goal is to support and educate the community. During the campaign, over 25,000 people attended educational and outreach events held by the Russian Red Cross. Over 700,000 people listened to online lectures and learned basic information on HIV prevention. It is very important for us to join efforts to prevent the disease and reduce stigma for people living with HIV. Such a large number of participants once again confirms the wide support of our community in the fight against HIV and AIDS”, highlighted Viktoria MAKARCHUK, First Deputy President of the Russian Red Cross.
At the nationwide level, the RRC launched a special project “There is still live afterwards”. The project has become a center for information and support. The site provides access to resources for those in need of assistance and includes a photo exhibition, a “help button” and useful services with contacts and services for those facing the disease. Visitors can also get information on addresses wh ere they can undergo rapid HIV tests in various regions of the country, check how well they comply with the rules of prevention, and get a promo code for free books on the LitRes ebook service. Only during the days of the campaign, the coverage of the site amounted to about 200,000 visitors.
RRC regional branches held a number of events, including interactive lectures, public talks with subject matter experts and speeches by people living with HIV. Seven regional branches organized open lectures where participants shared their experiences of living with HIV and discussed the importance of HIV prevention. Some of the lectures were held in partnership with the children’s and youth public Russian Society “Znanie”. More than 530,000 people watched online broadcasts of the lectures.
