Romanian Angel Appeal Foundation is looking to explore possibilities of cooperation with AIDS organizations in Bulgaria, Moldova and Turkey, as partner in an transnational project proposed to be financed under MINERVA Action of SOCRATES Programmes, Directorate Generale Education and Training, European Commission.
Interested participants are kindly asked to write and present their organization, contacting Ms. Luminitia Ratiu by email, at: luminita.ratiu@raa.ro.
The project aims to explore the possibilities of using Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in providing Continuing Medical Education for HIV/AIDS healthcare in Eastern European region (project partners from Bulgaria, Turcia and Moldova). The project use the best practice that Romanian Angel Appeal Foundation (RAA) has developed, starting from a pioneering pilot runned with support and cooperation from UNAIDS
Romania, Global Fund to Fight AIDS and other major funders of RAA: the www.HIVability.ro internet E-learning platform, that has become in less than two years a model of success with accreditted courses and more than 40,000 active learners.
Our best practice has been nominated at several international and national awards and has been winner of significant international and national recognitions, as of Winner of Romanian National E-Content Award and Nominated Finalist for Word Summit of the Information Society Award (WSIS).
The proposed project will support the exchange of ideas and experience of the use of existing HIVability technology as a model platform for partner institutions in Bulgaria, Turcia and Moldova. Policy makers, academics, civil society leaders, government officials, civil servants, business and community leaders, and other decision-making persons or experts involved in combating HIV/AIDS epidemic will be
networked toghether with a view to exchange RAA experience on using HIVability Elearning platfom for CME.
Our project objective is to encourage the establishment of links between these targeted groups in order to enhance ODL in continuing medical education on HIV/AIDS. The intended results are a series of information sessions and workshops, working meetings with various stakeholders, and a final regional conference. The outputs include a HIVability Project dissemination guide on CD-rom, a pilot version of
HIVability tested for Bulgaria, Modova and Turcia, as well as a comparative study on the use of ICT in healthcare education.
The structural development impact of the project is envisaged in changing relationships emerged at the health management level toward the promotion of ITCs use for health training development. The social development impact of the project is envisaged in increasing access to information on HIV/AIDS for healthcare workers, especially general and family practitioners, and through them, in increasing access to information for the general public and enhancing their medical care needs, making HIV/AIDS related counseling and information a part of the basic healthcare services in Romania, with a view to limit the spread of HIV/AIDS nation-wide.
Project justification stands upon the low but increasing AIDS incidence in east-European countries. One of the greatest barriers to optimal care of HIV infected patients in developing countries is the lack of sufficient education among medicine specialists. In a study conducted by Romanian Angel Appeal in 2002, in Romania, while
organizing a HIV prevention course in medical practice, from a total number of 1326 nurses, a number of 828 (70%) have never attended any course on HIV prevention in medical practice. Similarly, from 1190 medical college students, 846 (64.4o%) reporting that they never attended any course of HIV prevention prior to that date.
Romanian Angel Appeal Foundation is one of the largest non-governmental organization in Romania implementor of Global Funds to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria activities in Romania. RAA was established in 1990 in London and Los Angeles, and registered in Romania in 1991. Through its projects, RAA focuses on improving the medical, social and psychological services offered to people in need,
especially children and young people affected by HIV/AIDS, by providing direct services, developing education programmes for specialists active in the field (physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers), and implementing education and prevention campaigns. RAA is a member of ICASO, EUROCASO and several networks active in various fields of healthcare addressing seropositive youth. RAA offers tehnical support for UNDP Romania to review the National AIDS Strategy. RAA is a member of the National Commission for Supervision, Control and Prevention of HIV/AIDS Cases, which was established through the decree no. 119 / 09.05.2003 of the Prime Minister.
Overview of proposal instructions and application details at webpage:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/socrates/minerva/index_en.html
Deadline for submitting the full aplication: 1 March 2006. We need your answer as soon as possible in order to allow an effective process of application submission.
Thank you,
Warm regards,
Luminita Ratiu
Fundraising Officer
Romanian Angel Appeal Foundation
Tel: +40 21 323 6868
Fax: +40 21 323 2490
52 Rodiei Str. 030956
Sector 3 Bucharest
Romania
www.raa.ro
[sursa balkans]
