Julie Stachowiak Executive Director Alena Pyroshkina Program Director Stanislav Erastov Technical Director Gennady Roshchupkin Coordinator Shona Schonning Resource Manager/Librarian Pavel Kornilov Office Manager Irina Kireeva Human RightsInformation Manager Aleksandr Koshkin Human Rights Program Assistant Lilia Ukhova Head Accountant Lucy Platt Infoexchange Program Assistant Sveta Lobanova Office Assistant Collaborating Organizations: Medicins Sans Frontieres World Health Organization/UNAIDS United States Centers for Disease Control & Prevention Mobilization Against AIDS Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation A-Vesta ALBA Association of Donskii Doctors Venera-Press Belorussian Fund Stop-AIDS Center for the Formation of Sexual Culture Center of Narcology Cheliabinsk Fund Anti-AIDS Future Without AIDS Gospodin Velikii Novgorod Anti-AIDS HeraInfocenter SIB-10 International AIDS Project International Protection Omsk AIDS Center Penza Regional Association against AIDS Pheonix Tomsk AIDS-Aid Salvation from Drugs Siberian Initiative St. Petersburg Midwifery College Together Against AIDS Tula Association of Social Workers Union of Women of Russia We and You Women's Unity Support: United States Agency forInternational Development World Learning Civic Initiatives Program/Save the Children World Health Organization Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation Apple Computer Community Grants Program Technotex USA Microdyn International Women’s Club Press Center and Club Moscow Embassy of the Netherlands Mac Studios

Dear Friends and Colleagues: Welcome to the first newsletter of AIDS infoshare. The organization was founded not only to bring information on HIV/AIDS to Russians, but to inform the international community about developments around HIV/AIDS and human rights in Russia. We hope that this newsletter can become one way of regularly sharing this information with colleagues outside of Russia. With the political situation in Russia as chaotic as ever and increasing reports of a worsening health status of the population, I am happy to report that AIDS infoshare is continuing to grow and meet needs of Russians seeking information on HIV/AIDS and human rights issues. While we are pleased with the increasing amounts of requests that our library is processing, we have realized that we need to get more information into the hands of people who still do not have fundamental facts on HIV/AIDS. To do this, we have designed a series of fact sheets, created a poster and are developing a project to get translated information into public and medical libraries. It is also clear to us that although we are striving to improve clinical and diagnostic information available to doctors and other medical workers, the fear and distrust of the medical system on the part of many Russian citizens keep people from getting tested or treated. These fears are valid, as once someone tests positive, they may: be refused treatment on basis of their condition or lack of financial resources to pay the new black market prices, be subjected to tests without their consent, unknowingly be given experimental treatments or medication, be told that they have a chronic condition and then turned away with no further information, undergo a procedure without proper sanitary conditions or anesthesia, or have information about their condition made public. We have begun a program to begin researching the human rights situation in the health system and to help organizations and individuals advocate for change. The process of attaining real improvements will be a long one, and we hope to see many Russians and those outside of Russia working on HIV/AIDS and human rights problems in this region. Please contact us. We would love to hear what others are doing and share some of our experiences. Sincerely, Julie Stachowiak Executive Director After a year on staff in Moscow, Heidi Lowrey says goodbye to Julie & Gennady Big thanks to Heidi AIDS infoshare says goodbye to Heidi Lowrey, who left the Moscow office after a year to pursue a medi-cal education. Heidi will be sorely missed by the entire organization, as well as by the partner organizations of the Infoexchange: STD/HIV/AIDS Prevention Among Women project, which she coordinated. We wish Heidi all the best and will miss her laughter (and her Russian typing skills) around the office.