AIDSTAR-Two Project Trip Report – Algeria

The primary objective of the mission was to monitor the implementation of the MSM and PLHIV projects in Algeria, specifically in Oran and Algiers. During the visit to El Hayat, a PLHIV organization in Algiers, the President, Ms. Nawel Lahouel, described the organization's work, challenges, and interest in initiating a partnership with the MENA project. El Hayat has a long history and experience in the field, having received funding from various sources, including the Global Fund and UNAIDS. However, the organization's reliance on a single leader and limited community base raises concerns about its capacity for growth and sustainability. The visit to the MSM prevention project in Algiers revealed that APCS has mobilized and trained a team of six MSM peer educators. The team is motivated and willing to work, but faces challenges in establishing a referral system with the testing centers of the Ministry of Health. The project coordinator from APCS agreed to explore the reasons why no referrals have been made, highlighting the need for a more effective referral system. The meeting with the team of peer educators from Algiers showed that they are young, motivated, and socially integrated. However, they face obstacles in professionalizing their peer education intervention due to a lack of meeting space. The team has received training and has been supplied with condoms, IEC leaflets, and M&E forms by APCS. They have mapped the meeting places of MSM in Algiers and divided areas of intervention for each of them. The visit to the doctor providing VCT services in Algiers revealed that the HIV test is anonymous and free, and the M&E system theoretically records the key populations that uptake the VCT service. However, the doctor's plan to conduct both rapid and ELISA tests and report separately to APCS the MSM referred to her by the team of peer educators of APCS was not implemented due to the reluctance of the Director of the center to establish a partnership with a CSO. The AIDSTAR-Two Project Trip Report highlights the challenges faced by the MSM and PLHIV projects in Algeria, including limited funding, conflicts among HIV-thematic NGOs, and a lack of meeting space for peer educators. The report also emphasizes the need for a more effective referral system and the importance of building the capacity of local organizations to ensure the sustainability of the projects.