Despre noi – ARAS

Mission, objectives, values

Founded on 10 April 1992, ARAS is one of the first anti-AIDS associations in Romania and one of the first Romanian non-governmental organisations established after 1989.

In recognition of its contribution to the national response to the HIV epidemic, at the Romanian Government meeting of 14 September 2022 a Government Decision was adopted recognising the Romanian Association Against AIDS as an organisation of public utility.

ARAS is a member of COALITION PLUS and a member of the Romanian Coordinating Committee for HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis Control Programmes, the NGO Coalition for European Structural Funds and the Romanian Harm Reduction Network (RHRN), playing an active role in advocacy, legislative change and the representation of vulnerable people. It is part of several international bodies in the field: the Civil Society Forum on HIV/AIDS, the Civil Society Forum on Drugs and the Eurasian Harm Reduction Network (EHRN).

Mission

ARAS's mission is to improve quality of life through the projects and services it offers in response to the continued presence of HIV/AIDS in today's society.

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Objectives

Preventing HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs); promoting non-discrimination towards people living with HIV and populations at risk of infection; reducing the psychological, medical and social impact of HIV, hepatitis B and C and other STIs; strengthening the capacity of institutions, professionals, associations of people affected by HIV/AIDS, civil society, etc. to provide an adequate response tailored to HIV/AIDS in today's context.

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Values

Non-discrimination; recognition of everyone's right to information, education and high-quality social and medical services; the right to confidentiality; acceptance of diversity and otherness (people, organisations, institutions); collaboration; non-profit character; community focus; volunteering; professionalism; flexibility; adaptability

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History

Officially registered in Bucharest on 10 April 1992 as a non-governmental organisation, ARAS was founded by a group of young volunteers whose initial mission was to inform and educate all groups of the population about the danger of AIDS and the ways to prevent HIV infection. Thirty years later, ARAS promotes well-being and quality of life by supporting people already living with HIV or AIDS and defending their rights and interests. Today, ARAS provides medical care and material, moral and psychological support for people living with HIV or AIDS and their families.

ARAS organises its first summer information campaign on the Black Sea coast, involving around 100 volunteers; since then, this type of campaign has taken place every year.

The AIDS Helpline service is launched, the first of its kind in Romania. The service is opened with the help of volunteers. Also in 1993, the first Romanian quilts (hand-sewn blankets) are created, dedicated to children who died of AIDS in orphanages. The quilts were displayed at an international ceremony in San Francisco. ARAS would go on to repeat this kind of event every year in public spaces in Romania.

The first self-support group for people living with HIV/AIDS is formed. ARAS launches its psychosocial support programme for adults and children, focused on respecting their rights and on social inclusion.

The ARAS dental practice is equipped and opened, a model of good practice in providing dental services (by applying universal precautions).

The first ARAS voluntary HIV counselling and testing centres open in Bucharest, Constanța and Iași. In the same year, the “Night after Night” project is launched, aimed at people involved in sex work (sex workers, pimps, facilitators).

ARAS launches its first project to prevent the risks associated with injecting drug use.

ARAS is a founding member and coordinator of the Romanian Harm Reduction Network (RHRN). In the same year, ARAS provides the secretariat of the National Multisectoral AIDS Commission.
The association's first website is launched (link to the old website: http://arhiva.arasnet.ro

ARAS plays a decisive role in drafting Romania's application for funding available through the Global Fund and World Bank project, a programme managed by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (abbreviated in this document as GFATM).

Since March 2004, ARAS has been an implementer of the GFATM programme in Romania. Besides Bucharest, ARAS has seven branches (Bacău, Buzău, Cluj, Constanța, Dolj, Iași, Neamț, Timiș). This year, ARAS expands the programmes it started in Bucharest and in the seven centres in county capitals.