Helping the helpers: An international training program for professionals providing social services for hiv-positive children and their families in Southern Kazakhstan

Over one hundred children and some of their parents were infected with HIV in state hospitals in the Chimkent region in Southern Kazakhstan. After this tragedy, the Regional Department of Public Health organized social services for these families and asked the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) to provide them with training and supervision. Twelve seminars were conducted for the social workers in Chimkent over an 18-month period. The JDC team also met with the local medical staff as well as with governmental and nongovernmental organizations to assess their needs and provide organizational support for the social services. This article presents an analysis of the psychosocial challenges associated with the mass HIV infection episode in Kazakhstan. The analysis is based on Hofstede's (2001) theory of cultural values, theories on cross-cultural interaction (Cushner & Brislin, 1995), and principles of multicultural social work (Potocky-Tripodi, 2002). The training program is described, and its results are discussed. General principles and practical recommendations for planning and implementing cross-cultural international humanitarian programs in the field of HIV are suggested.