User talk:Rainbow Ethiopia/sandbox

Rainbow Ethiopia HIV/AIDS and Social Support Services

Rainbow-Ethiopia is a national HIV Program on Health and Rights for Key Populations like LGBT people and Sex workers, Rainbow-Ethiopia works towards Ethiopia where there is no hostility against homosexuality, where a sex worker doesn’t need to fear any violence from clients nor from the police. Not only because it is important that their human rights are respected, protected and fulfilled, but also because it is an essential precondition to improve their health.

Rainbow-Ethiopia - HIV/AIDS Prevention and LGBT Human Rights Advocacy Program which is the pioneer volunteer driven Community Based Sexual Health and Psycho-social programs to address the health and health related needs of most at risk and marginalized Men's, particularly men who have sex with men (MSM) who are classified globally as one of the Most at risk populations in relation to HIV/AIDS and STI Vulnerability, and who are highly vulnerable, little researched and under-served segment of the general key populations (MARPs) in Ethiopian context. Our program target different subcategories of MSM including Youth, Male Sex Workers, Married Men and other wide range of sexual and gender identities including, gay, bisexual or heterosexual who come from various socio-cultural contexts.

Despite the wide spread homophobia and lack of political will; we are aggressively working to promote/ mainstream the idea of social inclusion and empowerment of LGBTI people and sex workers who are the most marginalized and totally neglected segment of the larger poverty stricken Ethiopian society; we are combating the epidemic by creating a community and networks to set up interactive peer group education system ,risk behaviors assessment and reduction and skill building and awareness raising programs in Addis Ababa and other regional capitals of Ethiopia in which the most MSM and Sex workers are assumed to be concentrated.

We are developing HIV policy and advocacy strategies at the local and national levels to challenge legal and political restrictions on MSM and Sex workers to access HIV services to provide a full range of Health and Psycho-social support programs by engaging GFATM, PEPFAR Country Coordinating team, USAID and its implementing partners, FDRE-Ministry of Health, Federal and regional HIV Prevention and Control Offices (HAPCOs), FDRE-Ministry of Justice, law enforcement, other concerned governmental authorities, and media to address stigma and discrimination. [|Rainbow Ethiopia HIV/AIDS and Social Support Services]