ELRD’s approach one of most successful 

The harm reduction programme of Mainline’s partner Free School of Harm Reduction (ELRD) in Brazil has been recognized by the Brazilian government as one of the eight most successful HIV prevention strategies in the vast country. 

ELRD’s approach arose from the need to combine HIV prevention strategies with social inclusion and attention for poverty and violence. This while also expanding access to healthcare for populations historically excluded from public services, such as homeless people, drug users, transgender women and vulnerable young people.  

Apart from outreach work, HIV testing, referral to health services and distribution of condoms, the programme includes three important lines of action. One of them consists of 6 months’ social and personal empowerment courses for people who use drugs, with financial incentives and a focus on autonomy, self-care, citizenship.  

The social and personal strengthening course has led to participants acquiring housing, mobile phones and a more stable life. The second line included extensive training of healthcare and civil society workers on harm reduction and combating stigma. And the third one was the development of a digital monitoring platform in collaboration with the research organisation Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz). 

Experiences from ELRD and other Latin American and Caribbean harm reduction initiatives are the basis of the e-course on harm reduction and social justice that is available in Portuguese, Spanish and English. 

We congratulate ELRD on this well-deserved praise for their work and are happy to continue our collaboration in the coming years. 

Read more about it here.