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The Jerusalem AIDS Project (JAIP)

POB 7956, Jerusalem 91077, ISRAEL
Tel: +972-2 6797677
fax: +972-2 6797737

JAIP is an independent, International NGO, which gained wide experience in the last 5 years in the area of professional training in HIV/AIDS both in the Middle East and in developing countries in Asia and Latin America. Teams of experts from the project w ere involved in 35 major community-based AIDS Education interventions in 21 countries, in addition to the work done on a national scale in Israel.

JAIP's training program in Israel is implemented nationwide since September 1987. The organization had specialized in school-based AIDS Education, and its two curricula for elementary and high-schools have been endorsed by the Ministry of Education in Isr ael. Over 2,700 teachers, physicians and nurses in the country had graduated JAIP's training since 1987 to date. Also in the last 6 years, JAIP has initiated a peer AIDS Education program, using 2nd and 3rd year Medical students, who were carefully chosen and trained - as AIDS Educators in schools and the community at large. The programs produced and distributed by JAIP are designed to be taught in the classroom and in other youth settings. They also make use and distribute AIDS Educational Kit which is self-contained and self-explanatory. This educational kit uses the Immune System Approach or the ISYAP Model in teaching about HIV/AIDS.

Teachers' Training: "Training AIDS Educators Course"

This is a 5-day structured course, that aims to enable participants to increase their knowledge about HIV/AIDS, explore ways to overcome biased attitudes to the subject and learn how to better implement the ISYAP Model in their respective communities.

The Training Objectives are:

  1. To establish a highly educated and trained group of educational and health professionals, who will become AIDS Educators in their respective communities.
  2. To familiarize the trainees with the complex clinical, psycho-social, ethical and prevention aspects of HIV/AIDS.
  3. To educate the trainees in implementing community-based HIV/AIDS Education programs, with special emphasis on the ISYAP Model.
  4. To create a network of local AIDS Educators who will be able to collaborate in future in-country and regional HIV/AIDS prevention initiatives, and widen the coverage of existing HIV/AIDS control programs.

The 1st Regional Training-Workshop on HIV/AIDS Education in the Middle East

Background Information of the Training-Workshop

The newly established peace accord in the region against a backdrop of increasing trend of HIV infection and AIDS has provided a unique opportunity of gathering Israeli and Arab Health professionals together to collaborate and to utilize their roles as he alth care providers for HIV/AIDS Education as a preventive intervention in the region.

The need to unite forces in the prevention of communicable diseases, like HIV/AIDS is clear to anyone working in Public Health. We all know that HIV does not stop at borders. Never-the-less establishing a working group of Israeli and Palestinian professio nals, who will be ready to work together towards a common public health goal, when the background political situation of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is still "noisy" and unstable - was the core of the whole project.

In a slow, tactful and very articulated process, it was JAIP executive director, Mr. Inon Schenker, who initiated the establishment of the working group, which later became the Steering Committee of the project. Over a period of 18 months, through meeting s held at The Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem, hosted by Dr. Yusef Abu Jreis, trust among the Israeli and Palestinian professionals was established and a working plan was discussed. With initial support of The Dialogue Fund of the Government of Canada, plan became more concrete.

The Steering Committee, headed by Inon Schenker, Ph.D.(cand), M.P.H. included: Ms. Diane Abraham, Dean, Faculty of Nursing, Bethlehem University, Ms. Siham Badarne, The Galilee Society for Health Research and Services, Dr. Mario Ferraro, W.H.O. Representa tive in the PAA, Dr. Bernadette Kumar,Jerusalem AIDS Project, Dr. Sawsan Majali, School of Nursing, University of Jordan, Dr. Amin Massad, UNRWA, Dr. Olivia Mitry, Dentist's Association in the West Bank, Ms. Laura Wick, UNICEF,Mr. Ziad Yaish of the Palest inian Family Planing and Protection Association and Dr. Michal Gasco of JAIP.

As a first project an HIV/AIDS Education training-workshop to be given by the Jerusalem AIDS Project (JAIP), was suggested. It was agreed by all steering committee members that the project - as the first of its kind being implemented in the Middle East wi ll be an NGO to NGO initiative. Support from the Government of Quebec, The Italian Cooperation Health Sector, UNDP and the Dialogue Fund enabled a joint group of 50 Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian Health Professionals and Educators to participate in T he First Regional Training Workshop on HIV/AIDS Education in the Middle-East. This was conducted in July 23-28, 1995, at Tantur Ecumenical Institute, Gilo, Israel.

The Training Workshop

The JAIP training workshops are conducted within a total number of 40 hours, and participants in each course numbers around 50-100. It covers the following topics: HIV/AIDS Epidemiology in youth, clinical aspects, the immune system and AIDS, modes of tran smission, human rights and HIV/AIDS, principles in targeting AIDS messages to youth, barriers to effective AIDS education, skill building, the ISYAP Model, the socio-economic aspects of HIV/AIDS, networking and updates on vaccines and therapies. Format of the training combines introductory and guest lectures and presentations, delivered by experts in the various fields, with group work, active personal contributions of participants and carrying-out of selected projects. An official diploma is given to the graduates of the course, together with the Educational kit (Flipcharts, and manuals) which the graduates may now use in conducting AIDS Education activities in their areas.

Criteria for Selecting Participants for the First Regional Training Workshop on HIV/AIDS Education in the Middle-East:

  1. A permanent job in a health-care institute or organization.
  2. At least 2 years of experience in community-based health care.
  3. Background in Health education, public health or equivalent.
  4. Motivation to incorporate HIV/AIDS issues into daily practice.
  5. Good working level of English.
  6. Readiness to volunteer 4 hours per month for AIDS Education and counseling work over one year in the participants' own community.
  7. Special consideration are given to students who have been involved in Community Health work, and are interested in working in the area of AIDS Education.(66)
In modifying and adapting the JAIP international training workshops' concept, at the Steering Committee level, thorough consideration was given to the local needs, potential barriers and the need to establish a collaborative environment and working condit ions between people who had never experienced working with "the other side", and who were "the enemy" to the respective group (Israeli/Palestinian) just a few months ago. The whole structure and content of the workshop thus took into account this semi-hid den agenda. The first day was constructed in a way that enabled building the trust and working relationships, mainly through the great sensitivity of the facilitators and the communication exercises in small groups.

An immediate (and very unfortunate) opportunity to measure the success of the Steering Committee and the facilitators in melting the ice between the Israeli and Palestinian colleagues was at the middle of the second day of the workshop when a Palestinian suicider had exploded himself with a bomb in a Tel-Aviv bus, killing and wounding over 40 Israelis. The fear was great that this will break the workshop a part, but the reality was different: both groups found themselves overcoming the shock, sorrow and a nger together in an admirable way, with the program continuing as scheduled.

Workshop structure and content

The workshop was given in 5 days through a variety of educational methods and activities namely:
  • Group dynamics, games and group exercises;
  • Lectures from guest lecturers and experts in the field;
  • AIDS theater presentations and movie/video showing;
  • Group work on Communication skills;
  • Discussion of the Educational Kit (use of the Flipcharts and manuals) per unit;
  • Living with AIDS - personal testimonies from an Israeli woman and a Palestinian woman with HIV;
  • A very interesting Panel discussion and debate on Religion and AIDS with various guests from the Muslim, Christian, and Jewish religious groups;
  • group work and presentation of group projects on HIV/AIDS Education;
  • Visit to the AIDS Center of the Hadassah Hospital in Ein Kerem, as well as to other interesting areas like the Israel Museum, the Old City of Jerusalem, and Bethlehem.
It is worthwhile mentioning that the presenters,back-stage managers and secretariat staff of the workshop where Palestinians and Israelis.

The training-workshop covered a wide area of topics pertaining to HIV/AIDS like (see appendices for the complete program):

  • the Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in the world and in the Middle East;
  • the clinical aspects of HIV/AIDS, and updates on the search for a vaccine and treatment;
  • the Immunology of HIV/AIDS and current researches being done;
  • AIDS in Israel, the illness and the ill;
  • the Psychosocial aspects of HIV/AIDS;
  • the Immune System approach to AIDS education;