Charity Foundation Salus has organized in Lviv a conference during which the staff shared with representatives from different NGO’s its experience with implementation of project “Living library”. This project was supported by International charity foundation “International Alliance on HIV/AIDS in Ukraine”. Besides Lviv citizens, representatives of NGO’s from Ternopil, Khmel’nyts’ky, Ivano-Frankivs’k and Volyn oblast’s took part at the conference. The participants were greatly interested to learn about project “Living library”, which has been implemented by Salus staff. It’s no wonder because the aim of the project was to understand problems and sorrows of other people suffering form discrimination – HIV-positive, injecting drug users, chair bound persons, representatives of sexual minorities.

At the “Living library” contrary to conventional one instead of books there are living people: an HIV positive person, a migrant, a refugee, a former drug user or a representative of the other socially discriminated group. “To read a book” means to talk to one of them. Anyone can become a reader under condition that he would like to discuss with a “book” difficult, and sometimes forbidden by public opinion topics. The main condition is a friendly atmosphere and calm, amicable intonations.

After presentation of the project results the conferees adopted a resolution about dissemination of Salus experience in the neighboring regions.

Besides, Salus trainers familiarized the attendees with authorized innovative programmes “World of girls and women” and “World of boys and men”, developed by physicians, social workers, and psychologists. The aim of these trainings is to raise awareness of healthy life style, especially HIV and STI’s prevention. Representatives of Lviv Regional AIDS Centre, Educational-methodological Centre of Vocational Training in Lviv region and Lviv City Centre of Social Services for Family, Children and Youth had been taking an active part in project implementation and conference.