Training on Harm Reduction in Bihar

On January 22 – 24, 2013 in the Indian state of Bihar, India HIV/AIDS Alliance conducted training on Harm Reduction for 76 participants (Project Officers, Female Outreach Workers, Female Peer Educators and Peer Counsellors) from 15 Non-Governmental Organizations working with people who inject drugs within Hridaya project. These NGOs are located in the following districts of Bihar: Patna East, Patna West, Siwan, Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Nalanda, Bhagalpur, Sitamarhi, Buxar, Kaimur, Bhabua, Darbhanga, Bhojpur, Muzaffarpur.

The project aims to complement and supplement the national harm reduction approach adopted by National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO). This is to be achieved by providing an additional package of services (known as Targeted Interventions (TI) Plus services) through the already existing targeted interventions programmes. In order to implement TI Plus services an additional workforce was recruited in the three focus states of India: Bihar, Haryana and Uttarakhand.

Hridaya organized three-day training on Harm Reduction for the newly recruited staff in order to achieve their understanding on the structure of the currently implemented TI model before implementing TI Plus services.

The whole training programme consisted of intensive participatory workshop using various training techniques such as interactive presentations, group discussions, demonstration, informal and formal feedback sessions such as on: basics of drugs, drug related harms, principles of harm reduction, outreach and peer education, targeted interventions under the National Programme, needle syringe programming, operational aspects (such as demand calculation, waste management and disposal), post exposure prophylaxis related to needle stick injury, most common sexually transmitted infections, safer sex and correct usage of condoms, drop-in-centre, referral and networking, and an overview of Hridaya project.

The last session was interactive where all participants were told that it is expected that each staff member of Hridaya goes into the field and spends time on a daily basis in order to establish rapport and befriending IDUs. This will help to break the ice between them and the clients before implementing Hridaya TI Plus services on ground.

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