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Harm reduction for people who use crack cocaine

Mainline is starting a two-year project in Recife, Brazil, together with LANPUD, and the Free School for Harm Reduction (ELRD). The project aims to expand harm reduction and HIV care and support for young people who use crack cocaine.

Crack cocaine use in Recife

Recife is the capital of the State of Pernambuco in Northeast Brazil, with a population of 1.5 million. A 2014 national research estimated that 60,000 people who use crack live across the state. However, current numbers are likely to be higher. People who use crack in Recife are socio- and economically vulnerable, subject to frequent violence, extreme poverty and homelessness, and lack of access to health.

Innovating outreach strategies

The Free School runs a communitarian drop-in center for people who use drugs in Recife. The drop-in aims to reach the most vulnerable people who use drugs. Their person-centered approach seeks to increase the autonomy of the user, their families, and their communities. This project improves and innovates current mobile outreach activities, aiming to reach more young people – including young women – who use crack cocaine. New outreach strategies will be applied, and harm reduction interventions will be offered to improve the quality of life and increase the demand for testing and the uptake of treatment for HIV/AIDS and other STIs.

Blended learning offer

Mainline and LANPUD will work closely with the Free School to translate lessons learned into a blended learning offer that can also be disseminated to other countries in Latin-America. Project results will also be used to advocate for a broader uptake of stimulant harm reduction in the region.

This project is a collaboration between Mainline, LANPUD, and ELRD. ViiV Healthcare Positive Action funds the project. You can request more information about this project via Ancella Voets.

ancella
Get in contact with Ancella Voets
a.voets@mainline.nl

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