We are proud to announce that STAR-STAR – The First Sex Workers Collective in the Balkans, and HERA – Health Education and Research Association, are the winners of the grand prize of the ViiV Healthcare’s Positive Action Challenge: Stigma-Free Services for Sex Workers.
At this year’s scientific conference on HIV (IAS 2019) held in the capital of Mexico from July 21st to 24th, 2019, ViiV Healthcare, in collaboration with the International Association for Aids (IAS) on July 23, announced the award winners of the Positive Action Challenge: Stigma-Free Services for Sex Workers. STAR-STAR and HERA are among the three winners of the $75,000 Grand Prize, among which are HOYMAS Association from Kenya and the PACE Society from Canada. Sex worker associations from Serbia, Vietnam and Mexico are winners of the $25,000 SEED Prize.
The award was given to STAR-STAR and HERA, and other recipients for enabling sex workers communities and healthcare providers to work together to provide comprehensive stigma and discrimination-free HIV prevention services.
STAR-STAR will use the prize money to strengthen community programs for male and transgender sex workers in North Macedonia. STAR-STAR, in collaboration with HERA plan to scale-up existing outreach of HIV testing and SRH services, while advocating for the integration of the SWIT (Sex Workers Implementation Tool). Further, introducing new currently unavailable preventive methods such as piloting PrEP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis) among male and transgender sex workers.