Community at Lead of HIV Response in EECA Prisons

Donor: Robert Carr Fund

Goal: To strengthen the role of the community of people with lived experience of incarceration in safeguarding the right to health and developing sustainable, people-centered healthcare systems in penitentiary institutions across EECA countries

Countries: Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine

Project areas of work:

• supporting national initiatives and strengthening community capacity to advance the right to health and improve access to health and social services in prisons and after release;
• developing community-led monitoring (CLM) to assess the availability and quality of health and social services in penitentiary systems;
• providing expert and financial support through subgrants for community organization initiatives focused on HIV prevention, protection of rights, reintegration, and the introduction of new service models;
• expanding access to health and social services in prisons, including HIV prevention, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and peer-to-peer counseling;
• increasing community participation in the development of government programs and decisions related to penitentiary healthcare;
• advancing the right to health and penitentiary healthcare reform at the regional and international levels.

Total budget: USD 337 439

Key project results in 2025:

• Supporting National Community Initiatives. Community representatives in 7 countries across the region received expert and technical support to develop and implement initiatives aimed at improving access to health and social services in prisons and after release.
• Developing Community-Led Monitoring (CLM). A regional meeting on community-led monitoring in penitentiary systems was held, presenting results from Armenia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, and Tajikistan. Participants exchanged national experiences and discussed opportunities to institutionalize and scale up successful monitoring models.
• Supporting National Initiatives through Subgrants. Subgrants were awarded to the community organizations “Positive Initiative” (Moldova), “RESSOCIUM” (Kazakhstan), and “In the Name of Freedom” (Armenia). The organizations implemented initiatives focused on HIV prevention, identifying discriminatory practices, developing PrEP services, institutionalizing peer-to-peer counseling, supporting reintegration, and protecting the rights of people with lived experience of incarceration.
• Expanding Access to Health and Social Services. In Armenia, HIV training was provided for people in prison and penitentiary staff, and cases of discrimination against people living with HIV were examined. In Moldova, 25 people in prison received PrEP services for the first time in the penitentiary sector. A plan to further expand health services and a strategy for developing peer-to-peer counseling were also prepared.
• Community Participation in Government Decision-Making. In Tajikistan, community representatives participated in developing the National Program on HIV and Viral Hepatitis C for 2026-2030. In Uzbekistan, a framework for cooperation with probation authorities on social support and reintegration was prepared, while in Kazakhstan cooperation between a community organization and government agencies was strengthened.
• Advancing the Right to Health at the Regional and International Levels. Access to health services in prisons, penitentiary healthcare reform, and the integration of prison health into national healthcare systems were discussed at UN forums. EMRHP also gained an opportunity to advance universal health coverage in prisons through the Civil Society Engagement Mechanism for UHC2030.