September 6, E.I. held a mid-term progress review meeting with the
coordinators of the Way to Healing project from Kobrin, Zhodino,
Volozhin and Orsha. The main item on the agenda was the still not so
high attendance of self-help groups. Orsha is the only project site
where the number of group members is close to the target which had
been planned. Under E.I.'s supervision each coordinator developed her
own plan of action to improve the situation.
The self-help groups in Minsk, Pinsk, Brest, Vitebsk, Zhlobin, and
Rechitsa continue to meet on a weekly basis. The attendance in Minsk
is about 20 people at each meeting. About 80% of group members show
steady positive changes in their attitude towards their drug dependent
family members.
September 15, prevention program at the Linguistic University, over
300 students attended.
The drop-in center for IDUs continues to function five days a week.
10 IDUs stayed for in-depth consultation. 18 consultations by the
phone - mostly questions about vailable stationary rehabilitation
programs.
In Grodno, the assistant of the local branch leader started a
self-help group for recovering drug users.
The rehab center of MAD-Mozyr is developing quite well. 8 clients in
the program now. Getting ready to move to a new building.
September 25, E.I. was invited to take part in the annual meeting of
the Advisory Board of the BUMAD Program which consists of high-level
officials from all involved law-enforcement and medical ministries and
agencies. E.I. was the only representative of the civil society. She
gave a presentation about the key accomplishments of the Way to
Healing project.
After that meeting E.I. discussed with the manager of the BUMAD
Program the plans for making a documentary about rehab centers in
Belarus. In late October E.I. together with the BUMAD team and a
TV-crew from the National TV Company will visit the rehab centers in
Minsk, Baranovichy, Svetlogorsk, and Soligorsk.
E.I. received invitations from the National Radiotechnical University
and the National Teachers Training Institute to do a series of
prevention programs in October and November.
And, finally!!! E.I., Ludmila Trukhan (former leader of MAD-Soligorsk,
now E.I.'s deputy) and Mariya Dusenko from Volkovysk have been
selected to take part in an experience-exchange program in the US.
This program is sponsored by the US Government. In November together
with six other NGO leaders from Belarus they will go to Chicago for
three weeks. They will be meeting with government agencies and NGOs
working in the area of drug abuse prevention.
