The humanitarian community has had to learn about COVID-19 while responding to this new disease. From the start it was known that basic hygiene practices, such as proper handwashing, could help prevent its transmission. However, many displacement settings do not have the required facilities for implementing household and community-level Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures. They may also have weak governance systems for managing and maintaining water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services.

Health literacy in health care is crucial to achieving a reduction in child mortality, improving maternal health, combating infectious diseases, and improving health outcomes. However, refugees and migrants may have lower health literacy than the host community, most often due to poor access to educational resources and information programmes, and related to economic, social, and language barriers. Refugees may also have difficulty interacting with health information due to low literacy levels and cultural and language challenges.

Nearly 30 years ago, the HIV epidemic was first identified as a major problem along East Africa’s road axes. While transport corridors are no longer the primary source of new infections in Kenya, they remain a significant driver of the epidemic. The Government of Kenya has therefore prioritized populations along transport corridors as among “the most important most-at-risk populations that are not adequately covered by the national HIV prevention strategy” (NACC, 2009).

This guidebook was written to assist people from from many cultural and language backgrounds, especially young people and their families, to better protect themselves. It also aims to take away fear, to enable dialogue and to help in fighting stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV, AIDS or hepatitis. The AIDS & Mobility Europe project brings together people from many languages and cultures.

This document has been elaborated within the framework of IOMs EQUI-HEALTH project, “Fostering health provision for migrants, the Roma and other vulnerable groups”, specifically under the sub-action on Roma Health. The EQUI-HEALTH project is co-financed under the 2012 work plan, within the second programme of Community action in the field of health (2008-2013), by a direct grant awarded to IOM by the European Commission’s DG for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE), through the Consumers, Health, Agriculture, and Food Executive Agency (CHAFEA).

საინფორმაციო, საგანმანათლებლო და საკომუნიკაციო მასალა „ცხოვრება უკეთესია“ შემუშავებულია 13-14 წლის ახალგაზრდებისთვის და მოუთხრობს მათ ფსიქოაქტიური ნივთიერებების ავადმოხმარების მავნებლობისა და რისკ ფაქტორების შესახებ. „ცხოვრება უკეთესია“ მიზნად ისახავს ხელი შეუწყოს ახალგაზრდების ცნობიერების ამაღლებას ფსიქოაქტიური ნივთიერებების ავადმოხმარებით გამოწვეულ შედეგებზე, რომლებიც უარყოფით ზეგავლენას ახდენენ მათ ჯანმრთელობასა და სოციალურ მდგომარეობაზე. „ცხოვრება უკეთესია“ შესაძლებლობას ანიჭებს ახალგაზრდებს ინფორმირებული არჩევანი გააკეთონ.

This toolkit is one of the outcomes of the IOM project Measures to Enhance the Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) of Migrants with a Chronic Medical Condition Residing in the EU. The project was funded by the European Return Fund Community Actions 2011 and co-funded by the Government of the Netherlands. The project brought together two European Union member States – Hungary and the Netherlands – and seven countries of origin: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ghana, UNSC resolution 1244-administered Kosovo, Mongolia and Morocco.

The “Life is Better” information, education and communication materials are intended for adolescents aged 13–14 years old and narrate the ill effects and risk factors of psychoactive substances' abuse. “Life is Better” comprises information on risks resulting from abuse of such psychoactive substances as tobacco, alcohol, injecting drugs, inhalants, bio/ spices, sedatives, ecstasy and marijuana/ cannabis.

This issue provides overview of projects implemented in 2016 and next steps, Regional Migration Strategy Development Workshop, events , publications and more.

PROJECTS UNDER IMPLEMENTATION