About the Fund
The St. Petersburg charitable community fund of medical social programs “Humanitarian Action” is one of the largest and oldest charitable organizations in St. Petersburg that provides comprehensive medical, social, legal and psychological care to homeless and neglected children and teenagers, drug users, female sex workers and HIV positive individuals. The main area of our work is HIV prevention in these risk groups.
“Humanitarian Action” was officially created in July 2001, when it branched off the French international humanitarian organization «Medicins du Monde,» which started medical and social programs in St. Petersburg in 1995, including the program «Street Children of St. Petersburg».
In 1997, the “Harm Reduction” program for HIV prevention among drug users was founded. A Harm Reduction program specifically for female sex workers was started in 2001. In 2003, in connection with the opening of the “Center for prevention of HIV/AIDS and other socially significant diseases,” Humanitarian Action started working in partnership with the Botkin Memorial Hospital for Infectious diseases and the program «Providing Access to Medical care for injecting drug users and sex workers” was founded.
In 2006, «the case management service» became an independent program of the Fund.
In our work, we strive to assist the most vulnerable members of society (those who are otherwise unable to do so due to their circumstances and social isolation) in taking advantage of their legal rights. The employees of Humanitarian Action make every effort to motivate their clients to change their behavior and increase their quality of life. In doing so, we are always tolerant, understanding and respectful to our clients and do not preach or moralize
“Humanitarian Action’s” main principle is “the lowest possible threshold,” which means simplifying everything for the clients as much as we can, so they can have the easiest possible access to the Fund’s services and to other services available to them. Our goal is not to replace the governmental structures in place, but to be the bridge between the vulnerable members of society and those structures that are already in place to help them. Collaboration with other governmental and nongovernmental organizations is one of the main missions of Humanitarian Action, as this sort of work would be impossible without the combined efforts of these organizations.
For our active participation in the war with HIV/AIDS and Protection of Human Rights the Fund “Humanitarian Action” received an international award from the Canadian Organization Human Rights Watch in 2005.
Our Mission
Our mission is to decrease the transmission rate of HIV and other socially significant diseases, to provide access to complex medical, social and psychological care, and to help vulnerable members of society integrate into society, especially those living with HIV/AIDS, homeless and neglected children and teenagers, injecting drug users, female sex workers and those at risk for human trafficking, violence and discrimination.
Main Areas of Fund Activities
- The prevention of HIV/AIDS and other socially significant diseases.
- Helping our target groups receive access to medical, psychological, legal and social help.
- Training specialists from governmental and nongovernmental organizations in approaches to work with target groups.
Target groups include
- HIV positive individuals.
- Homeless and neglected children and teenagers.
- Injecting drug users.
- Female sex workers and their partners.
- Specialists of governmental and nongovernmental organizations.
