My second week here in Podgorica has been very exciting. I am continuing to grow accustomed to the work atmosphere here and have been fitting in well with Juventas. The research I needed to do for the report on the current status of commercial sex workers in Montenegro has been somewhat difficult to do as there is very little information available. It has been a little frustrating trying to find the necessary information as I do not know exactly who needs to be contacted to obtain the needed data and the people I am working with inJuventas have been very busy and unavailable this week. We have managed to sendan email to the police headquarters and they should be able to provide us with much of the data we need at least in terms of the current numbers they have of current sex workers, arrest rate, etc. I hope to receive a reply from them at least by Monday although I am not completely optimistic about this.
In addition to this, I have been working in the office on helping Juventas initiate a new project. They would like to build a drop-in center for individuals with HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis B and C or individuals at risk, such as those who are injection drug users, commercial sex workers, or the MSM population. Here, people would be able to obtain needed information, receive counseling, seek help, and possibly get tested for the various diseases. I have spent much of this week looking for possible donors for this project and editting and helping write-up a letter of interest for the project. It is interesting to be able to participate in projects at various levels of their
implementation.
The research study they are conducting at the hospital has been going fairly well although fewer and fewer people are coming for the study. They are really scared as several of the people who previously went to the study have recently been arrested for possession of drugs so they think there might be police spies around the hospital. Nevertheless, I am learning a lot from the staff at the microbiology clinic and from the Juventas staff about the three diseases, their treatment, the different effects of various drugs, and the current available rehabilition options. Just recently, a drug rehabilitation center has been opened in Podgorica and I have heard that it is very nice with fairly good health care and lots of different opportunities for patients to engage in
athletic and social activities that will help them with their recovery. This is one of the first such centers in Montenegro and I really hope I will be able to visit it soon. An alarming fact from the study that I have come across is the number individuals affected with Hepatitis C. From the current data and the patients I have seen thus far, I think it is estimated that about 80% of
injection drug users are Hepatitis C positive!
I have also been out with Juventas to do outreach work this week. This has been a very interesting experience. Many of the people we see during the outreach work are long-time clients of Juventas and are either injection drug users, commercial sex workers, or both. They actually have the phone numbers of several of the Juventas staff and thus whenever they need clean needles or condoms or just someone to talk to, they can call the staff and we visit them
in their homes during the outreach period. For all new clients, we advice them to come to the clinic during the study period so that they can get information and counselling so that most of the people we eventually see have all the needed information on drug addiction, the various diseases, safe behavior, etc. I am very impressed with the relationship Juventas has built with its clients
and the trust that has been formed between them. For the outreach work, we basically drive around Porgorica in a van, first making all the planned stops to visit the clients that have called us earlier that day. They either come to the van or we go up to their apartment and give them clean needles, syringes, and condoms. We also have a doctor with us who works in an emergency room and she can provide them with any medical care or advice they may need. I am currently in charge of writing down everything we give each client for that night. I have met a few of the clients although I do not go out to each visit as I am new and the people are often scared of new members as they do not yet trust that I am not with the police. After going out several times and having them see me around for a while without any negative consequences for them, then I will be able to interact with them a little more.
After making the planned visits, we drive around some of the areas in Podgorica known to have hang-out spots for drug users or sex workers. Two nights ago, we visited an area called Konik which I never knew existed in Montenegro until this year. It is basically an area in which all the refugees from Bosnia, Kosovo, and other war zones, the roma population, and many delinquints live. It is an extremely poor area and many of the houses are barely standing upright, there is a lot of trash everywhere, and it just looks very run-down and scary in general. I was shocked that I had never seen or heard of this area before and it is very strange that some of the most marginalized populations in Montenegro all live in one location. The outreach work is really making me aware of how hurt this country has been by the war. It has also showed me how widespread the drug problem is here and how it affects individuals from some of the most diverse backgrounds.
Through all this work, I have been making a ton of friends here at Juventas. I really like that I get to work on so many different projects and get to see how this organization runs as a whole. I have been pleasantly surprised with how well everything is organized here and the work they are doing is, I believe, very effective. The only thing that is missing is support for organizations
such as Juventas from the general public, and especially from local cooperations and the government here in Montenegro. There are very few donors within Montenegro and Juventas is really having a hard time finding funding for its projects. I also had the opportunity to attend a press conference held by Juventas this Wednesday during which it announced all its upcoming projects and work to the media. I have attached some pictures from this conference so you can
meet the three main people I'm working with here.
For next week, I plan to continue my work searching for donors and hope to have a list ready for Juventas by the end of the week. I will also continue going to the research study and outreach work. I hope to make some progress with the outreach work so that I can communicate more with the clients and begin making more of the visits with the other Juventas staff. While I am having a hard time with the fact that most of what I am going to be doing each day here is not
planned and organized in advance, I am learning to adjust to this cultural difference here and am beginning to trust that even though I might not have every detail of my project planned, I am still getting interesting and new experiences each day and am able to contribute to Juventas' projects.
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