HIV/AIDS

Blythswood Banat offers social and spiritual support to registered HIV/AIDS patients from four counties in the western part of Romania (Timiș, Arad, Caraș-Severin, Hunedoara). The purpose of the programme is to forge and strengthen networking among HIV infected young people, encourage adherence to antiretroviral treatment, enable people to cope with the challenges of having to live with HIV/AIDS, oppose any form of discrimination and marginalisation, disseminate knowledge about prevention and counter misinformation/lack of information about the nature of the infection, and support professional carers in providing services to people living with HIV/AIDS. Blythswood Banat organises two camps a year, one at Lake Surduc in the Timiș County (with Precept Ministries Romania) and one in Steiermark/Styria, Austria (with Pfarre Veitsch), as well as two extended weekends in Jimbolia dedicated to socialising and sports. The HIV/AIDS programme is financially supported by Blythswood Care and volunteers associated with Südsteirische Rumänienhilfe. Networking for the HIV community is being facilitated by a 216-strong Facebook private group managed by Blythswood Banat.