Ongoing Projects
Positive Living Support Center
August 2006 / Ongoing
Positive Living Support Center is the headquarters for all projects of the association, where counseling services are offered -either vis-à-vis, or via phone and internet- and where all trainings/seminars, meetings and events are held. With its scope of work, it’s the only tangible center offering support services for people living with HIV in Turkey.
HIV Testing Project
March 2015 / Ongoing
According to the data provided by The World Health Organization (WHO), HIV infection has increased by 452% over the last decade, and the most effective way to prevent the spread of the infection is to provide treatment through diagnosis for people living with HIV. In this regard, people in our country avoid the HIV testing with the fear of stigma and discrimination. Outcomes of the project, which offers a free and reliable test for people who can’t have it due to reluctance of submitting their ID information, are academically reviewed as well.
Project of Psychosocial Support and Its Affects On HIV Trauma
November 2016 / Ongoing
Physical and mental health are two inseparable facts. The fact that HIV infection treatment in our country is mostly limited with medical treatment, people living with HIV suffer from diagnosis trauma due to prejudices, stigma and discrimination, and also the fact that most of the time they can’t manage this trauma on their own, and lack of psychiatrists and psychotherapists that are well-equipped enough about HIV infection are the main starting points of this project. During the research on the effects of psychosocial support on diagnosis trauma within the scope of the project, people living with HIV receive therapy services at the support center.
HIV Counseling for LGBTI+ Refugees
February 2017 / Ongoing
As by many means, millions of refugees that came to our country due to war in Syria are helpless by means of sexual health and HIV as well. Increase in the number of the refugees that consulted our association through various institutions shows the importance of taking the required measures. Because they are more vulnerable to HIV due to their sexual behaviors, we offer our services in both Arabic and English within our project aiming to raise HIV awareness of LGBTI+ refugees, ease their access to protection materials, help them take free tests, offer counseling for those who are diagnosed with HIV, and also facilitate their access to treatment. You can reach our support line at +90 505 019 7148.
Completed Projects
Awareness and Advocacy for the Rights of People Living with HIV/AIDS Project
March 2010 / June 2011
To raise awareness of civil society organizations, public organizations, decision makers and legislators regarding violation rights of people living with HIV and current violations; enabling participation of people from every walk of life in this matter, creating social embrace and responsibility by improving social awareness for HIV/AIDS, and suggesting legal framework to facilitate the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS are the main objectives of the project.
Law Polyclinics Project
August 2008 / August 2009
The main objectives of the project are: To improve the infection services and infection experts in all hospitals offering HIV treatments, pharmacies near the hospitals, local health care providers, to visit current Volunteered Testing and Counseling Centers, organize peer counselings, consolidate the social network among people living with HIV, organize trainings on human rights, create local social networks, increase the motivation and support for legal suits, perform advocacy through Reports and Media.
Male to Male Project
September 2009 – June 2009
The main focus point of the project is to inform the men that have sex with men about general sexual health and sexually transmitted diseases, particularly HIV/AIDS, safe sex and discrimination, and also help people to talk about HIV/AIDS more in this group.
Legal Empowerment of People Living With HIV/AIDS Project
March 2006/December 2006
Information sharing about HIV/AIDS and current violation of rights, detection of current legal and ethical frameworks, and conducting studies on solving the problems are the main objectives of the project.
Awareness-Raising in Media Project
March 2007 / July 2007
The project aims to directly inform the journalists, editors and news directors covering health news about HIV/AIDS, in order to conduct trainings and meetings on various contents with various groups, help to overcome the prejudices and acknowledge the matter in a better way by pairing them with people living with HIV one-to-one in order to make them experience living with HIV. The project aims to conduct evaluation meetings with those who will become “HIV positive friends” in media to designate the stories that cause discrimination and stigma, and draft an action plan to prevent these. And the media members will be asked to write about their experiences, feelings or the changes on their perspective of HIV. Finally, the stories and experiences will be merged to publish a book including the stories of people living with HIV, and the project will undertake the distribution of the book as well.
Awareness-Raising Project
May 2007 / December 2007
The project aims to create sensitivity within the main sources of current prejudices against HIV/AIDS, inform the society and raise awareness, and particularly inform the health care professionals, private sector employees and university students.
Dissemination of Support Services for People Living With HIV Project
November 2008 / November 2009
The project aims to determine the problems of people living with HIV who reside in 10 Turkish cities (Adana, Ankara, Antalya, Bursa, İzmir, İstanbul, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Mersin and Trabzon), to create local solutions, to do a comparative status analysis in İstanbul and other Anatolian cities within this context, and ensure to increase the knowledge level of people living with HIV and their partners. It also aims to create a support system for people living with HIV by cooperating with health care professionals and local authorities monitoring HIV.
Advocation of HIV/AIDS Project for Medical Students
September 2008 / June 2009
The project aims to affect the HIV/AIDS response, raise awareness of stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV, and reduce the discrimination and stigma by conducting new programs with our future health care professional suggestions.
Positive Guidance Project
May 2008 – May 2009
The project aims to assign volunteered peer counsellors among people living with HIV in order to lay the foundations of communication, monitoring and support framework for people living with HIV in Turkey, and help them lead a healthier life both physically, psychologically and socially. (Dedication to the treatment, safe sex, being careful and healthy eating). It aims to reduce the discrimination and stigma against people living with HIV, inner stigma of the counselees, and also to reduce their violation of Human Rights, and ensure the integration of more people living with HIV into civil society. It also aims to establish international relations and bring expertise methods in order to create a sustainable volunteered system to meet the needs of people living with HIV, and also to create a stronger and sustainable framework and support system.