"We participate one hundred percent"

What does it take for HIV prevention to work in migrant communities? A new handbook with quality standards and practical examples provides the answer.

When Clement Matweta wanted to talk about HIV in an African church community in his home town of Essen for the first time almost ten years ago, he didn't know exactly what to expect. "We said we'd give it a try," recalls the social worker. "I had the opportunity to speak for ten minutes at the end of the service. Afterwards, the pastor said: 'Okay, if we have someone who is HIV-positive, we'll get in touch' They haven't done that to this day." Fortunately, however, some church members contacted the counseling center shortly afterwards without the congregation knowing about it. So Clement Matweta's appearance in the church was crowned with success in the end. And he understood: HIV prevention in this setting is initially "outreach" work, but those who really seek help will only approach you later.

Diversity in every respect

Clement Matweta is one of over 20 people who contributed to the recently published handbook "HIV prevention for & with migrants" by Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe. The result is a guide that formulates quality standards and reflects the diversity of prevention work with the communities with 16 practical examples. "Migrants are not a homogeneous group, but a diverse one. They can be found in every target group of HIV prevention and AIDS service organizations," explains DAH migration officer Tanja Gangarova, who worked on the handbook for two years. "We looked to see where standards could be formulated that could be applied to everyone. Where this is not possible, we have collected models of good practice that others can adopt and adapt for their work."

The projects presented range from the tablet quiz used by the Berlin association manCheck to provide information about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections and protection options at gay parties in a fun way, to workshops run by the whore organization Hydra and the educational work of the Munich MuMM group (DAH project „Migrantinnen und Migranten als Multiplikatoren für die HIV- und STI-Prävention“ ("Migrants as multipliers for HIV and STI prevention")) in initial reception centres for refugees.

"His trick is quotes from the Bible"

Very specific recommendations are also given. For example, Clement Matweta advises to always contact the spiritual leader of a congregation first when it comes to HIV prevention in churches. "In African communities and especially in church congregations, HIV is a taboo," he says, describing the biggest hurdle in his work. For many, AIDS is a punishment from God. Talking about it in church only works through the pastor or priest. "They are the ones who open up access to the congregation and allow us to talk about taboo subjects." His trick is to use quotes from the Bible that deal with the health of the body and soul. "You can start with that if you want to talk about health issues."

Without people like Clement Matweta, who come from the community themselves, effective HIV prevention for and with migrants is not possible. Tanja Gangarova also emphasizes this: "The book is based on the concepts of 'diversity', i.e. the recognition of diversity, and participation, i.e. the inclusion of the target group."

The book was also created according to these concepts: Employees from the AIDS service organization, community representatives, some of whom have over twenty years of experience in prevention work, and other cooperation partners such as health authorities and Caritas developed the handbook together. "We have translated all our experience into guidelines in order to further improve the quality of our measures, which depends above all on the participation of the communities," says Gangarova, explaining the aim of the project.

The need for appropriate services is increasing, not least due to the current refugee movement. "More and more AIDS service organizations are asking for further training on prevention for and with migrants," says Tanja Gangarova. The handbook is intended to facilitate counseling work and the planning of projects.

Cooperation instead of competition

Aids coordinator Brigitte Menze from the Essen health authority knows how important it is to focus on cooperation. She also contributed to the handbook and reports on a practical example from the "Migration and Sexual Health Working Group" of the city of Essen. Various advice centers that worked side by side until a few years ago now work together here. "Previously, there was a lack of sustainability in the work," recalls Brigitte Menze, "so we got together and thought about how we could complement each other instead of competing."

The cooperation is successful - and strengthens the individual employees, including community representatives who are primarily responsible for the projects. "Their own empowerment flows back into the work in the communities," says Brigitte Menze. She is particularly pleased that the projects are now co-financed by the city of Essen and that the offers in the communities are now so well received.

Regular exchange

Clement Matweta can also confirm the positive effects of the collaboration in Essen. "When people come who need help, we can refer them to the relevant agencies." However, it is also important that all those involved in HIV prevention regularly exchange information. "We keep asking ourselves how else we can help people," explains Matweta. "We get a lot of information about this through networking."

The handbook "HIV prevention for & with migrants" also aims to provide input like this. It shows which requirements need to be met in order to enable migrants to participate in prevention work and to establish a diversity-oriented approach. "We are now being properly perceived as migrants with our concerns," says Clement Matweta happily. "We participate one hundred percent - we are no longer just decoration, but real players."

By Frauke Oppenberg