Community Impact Programme: The Third Group
The third CIP group took place between April and July 2025. Participants partook in five online workshops and a face-to-face session as part of the Harm Reduction International Conference in Bogota, Colombia, on the week of 27th of April.
The program was highly successful, culminating in the creation and presentation of comprehensive advocacy project plans. Participants gained valuable theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience to drive meaningful change. By building a network of empowered advocates, the program united efforts towards the common objective of eradicating hepatitis.
“I learned that political advocacy requires not only technical or scientific arguments, but also clear narratives, adapted and sensitive to the realities of each community. I’ve learned to transform ideas into concrete plans, with SMART objectives, communication strategies and stakeholder analysis.”
“The group created a real sense of regional community. I now have allies in other countries to share strategies and collaborate.”
“It was a great experience to learn about the huge harm reduction movement worldwide. It was my first time attending this conference and I made contact with some trans organizers with whom we’ve already exchanged materials and ideas!”
Impact in action
Case study 1: Karina
Karina Rojas is a psychologist with experience in clinical care in sexual health and HIV. Karina is responsible for the health and human rights projects at Instituto para el Desarrollo Humano (IpDH) in Bolivia, an organisation dedicated to providing comprehensive care to people with HIV and people of diverse sexual orientations and genders.
In April 2025, Karina joined the third group of the Community Impact Accelerator Programme. Karina felt that joining the accelerator programme would “improve my training and deepen my understanding of hepatitis. Having up-to-date information with a human rights focus on addressing hepatitis will contribute to the actions we carry out in Cochabamba, Bolivia.”
As a part of the programme, Karina was supported to attend the Harm Reduction International Conference in Bogota 2025 (HRIC). HRIC was a defining moment for Karina “It was the first time I had participated in this harm reduction event, and for me it was an important experience to learn about the great movement and reflections surrounding the person-centered approach with community participation.”
Karina used the opportunity of attending HRIC not only to learn, but to also make connections “At a working table on harm reduction among LGBTI people, I was able to connect with young queer people from the US, who put us in touch with a queer researcher who is conducting epidemiological work on substance use in Latin America.”
Since completing the programme, Karina has used her learnings to raise awareness of hepatitis. “In my work at IpDH, I have always carried out advocacy actions with authorities to prioritize health issues. CIP has allowed me to expand these advocacy actions to the issue of hepatitis, which was not as prioritized in my organization. For World Hepatitis Day, we wrote an article about viral hepatitis in a local newspaper, and we have raised awareness on social media with spots and posts reflecting on and addressing hepatitis.” Karina also noted that “The main interest and challenge for IpDH at present is to raise awareness of the importance of diagnosing hepatitis B and C. Following CIP, we have been able to raise our profile as a Bolivian organization working in the field of hepatitis.”
Despite the course coming to its conclusion, the lessons learnt will continue long into the future “CIP allowed me to revisit knowledge and experiences in political advocacy, supported me theoretically, and supplied me with the tools to improve mine and my organizations empirical and intuitive work. The exchange of experiences and horizontal learning with other similar organizations has been an important and motivating factor for me to continue my work.”
Impact in action
Case study 2: Jose
Jose Angel is a sexual health mediator at Apoyo Positivo, an NGO based in Spain that defends the rights of people affected by HIV as well as their integration into society. Apoyo Positivos vision is to lead and participate in the implementation of diversity as a best practice in the different processes of health, education and rights and as the most effective tool for social change. In April 2025 Jose joined the third group of the Community Impact Accelerator Programme (CIP) “I believe it is essential to continue expanding my knowledge and skills to strengthen my work in sexual health mediation and social intervention. This programme represents a unique opportunity to strengthen my role as an agent of change, improving advocacy and the defense of rights in the field of public health, and promoting more inclusive and equitable policies in our society.”
As a part of the programme, Jose was supported to attend the Harm Reduction International Conference in Bogota 2025 (HRIC). “Attending HRIC in Bogotá had a strong impact on my work. It exposed me to realities of harm reduction, displacement, and quality of life in regions I was less familiar with. Seeing how chemsex, migration, and social inequalities intersect globally reinforced the need for transversal approaches. The panels, presentations, and posters broadened my perspective and strengthened my commitment to community-led advocacy.”
Attending HRIC also led to networking opportunities, Jose met with the wider community and forged new partnerships “Several meaningful connections emerged from HRI that opened unexpected opportunities for cross-border collaboration. One particularly relevant exchange was with the partnerships lead at Apothicom France, where we explored the possibility of sharing harm reduction tools, training materials, and community-based resources related to chemsex and STIs. Given the geographical proximity and shared migration routes between France and Spain, this collaboration is especially relevant for addressing the needs of migrant communities.” Jose added that “Conversations during the UN CESCR session highlighted opportunities to document and report rights violations affecting migrants from Latin America living with HIV in Spain. These exchanges reinforced the importance of transnational cooperation, linking community work, harm reduction, and human rights advocacy to better support highly mobile and vulnerable populations.”
Since completing the programme, Jose has implemented some of the lessons learnt, helping to address previous barriers “I have applied the skills and tools from CIP by combining them with my community-based experience and adapting them to the real needs of the organisation where I work. The programme helped me structure advocacy work with a clearer strategy, teamwork approach, and social support focus. While results are still emerging, the main tangible change has been a stronger mindset and capacity to design and execute advocacy actions with purpose, evidence, and collaboration.”
Furthermore, Jose added that “One major challenge is that viral hepatitis is often deprioritised within infectious disease agendas and funding frameworks. This is especially visible in contexts such as chemsex and migrant populations, where hepatitis intersects with HIV and other STIs. CIP helped me to understand how to build pressure through data, practical examples, and clear narratives, and how to align activism with institutional advocacy, drawing on examples from France and Central America shared during the programme”
Jose concluded by stating “I would absolutely recommend CIP. It is a powerful opportunity for both professional growth and collective learning. The programme provides tools, alliances, and strategic thinking for political advocacy, while remaining grounded in real community needs. What I valued most was breaking away from formalities and sharing our lived experiences. Speaking openly about who we are, what we have lived, and why we advocate created genuine connections and trust. That human space made the learning deeper and reminded us why political advocacy matters beyond technical frameworks.”
