Project Supporting Development of Bilateral Cooperation grants business trip to Norway. The aim of the trip is to get acquainted with the experience of Norway Gay and Lesbian Health Organization in the field of social integration and dealing with health related issues in men who have sex with men (MSM), also to develop detailed training programmes and drafts for Project informative materials in Latvia.
Project partner in Latvia is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and their friends’ association “Mozaika”.
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The main aims of the business trip:- To get acquainted with NGO „Helseutvalget for bedre homohelse” (“Gay and Lesbian Health Norway”) main activities of work, experience in the field of sexual minority rights protection and social integration and tackling specific health issues and prevention of MSM stigmatization. To introduce Norway partner with experience in the MSM related issues from lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and their friends’ association “Mozaika” that mainly deals with LGBT rights protection and has minor experience in issues related to health.
- To get acquainted with the research done in Norway in the field of MSM behaviour and needs assessment, situation in MSM social integration and activities carried out in order to improve the situation. To draft the second part of the Project application together with the partner in Norway by developing detailed training programmes for doctors and volunteers in Latvia, drafting Project informative material hand-outs and discussing ideas about Project sustainability.
Prospective results:
- Obtained information about the Norwegian experience in tackling MSM related issues that could be adapted to Latvian situation and could be used within the Project and after the finishing of Project.
- Developed two training programmes for doctors and volunteers in Latvia.
- Developed criteria for sampling doctors for Network and criteria for MSM medical examination in health care practices.
- Thematically and technically drafted materials for information dissemination in the Internet.
- Developed plan for ensuring Project sustainability.
- Developed plan for Project implementation timeline.
- Assigned persons responsible for implementation of the activities.
Visit in Oslo: 11.06.2013.-14.06.2013.
The total costs of the Project consist of 1135 LVL. 90% of the funding is provided by the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism 2009-2014 programme “NGO Fund” subprogram “NGO project Measure”. Programme Operator is the Society Integration Foundation that has signed the agreement Nr.2012.EEZ/PP/1/MEC/043/DS/6 with the NGO “Baltic HIV Association”.
From 11 to 14th June, 2013 NGO „Baltic HIV Asociation” and NGO „Mozaika” visited NGO „Gay and Lesbian Health Norway” in Oslo, Norway
The aim of the Bilateral Cooperation project “Promoting social inclusion of men who have sex with men (MSM) by improving access and quality of health care services” was to exchange experience with NGO “Gay and Lesbian Health Norway” and to draft the second part of the Project application together with the partner in Norway. During the visit in Oslo, the partnerorganizations NGO “Baltic HIV Association” and NGO “Moazika” gained an extensive experience from Norway partnerorganization NGO “Gay and Lesbian Health Norway”. Both organizations visited premises that are realted to health care services for MSM and people living with HIV (Oslo university hospital, Aksept – a place for people living with HIV, Brynsenglegene – general practitioner services, where MSM can receive state-covered rapidtesting on infectious diseases). Second part of the Project application was filled togehter with Norway partnerorganizaton by developing detailed training programmes for doctors and volunteers in Latvia, drafting Project informative hand-outs and discussing ideas about sustainability of the Project. Norway partnerorganization expressed support for the Project in Latvia and signed the Partership statement.
The project is funded by Iceland, the Principality of Liechtenstein and the Kingdom of Norway.
Project contact person: Lauma Spriņģe (e-mail: lauma.springe@gmail.com)
