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Latest stories from IPPF

Spotlight

A selection of stories from across the Federation

CSE Choice

Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, St Lucia

Story

Revolutionizing CSE: Latin American and Caribbean Youth Leading the Charge!

The article sheds light on the critical lack of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) for young people in Latin America and the Caribbean. Through the personal stories of youth advocates Claudia Helena Castro Nieto and Shenelle Mc Donald, it explores the challenges they faced and the transformative impact of CSE.

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disabilities
story

| 30 September 2020

Reaching young people with disabilities in Trinidad and Tobago

Trigger warning: this story contains details about sexual assualt Monique* shared with IPPF her experience as a young, disabled woman with a child:  "I was constantly raped by my father. I got pregnant. People thought I shouldn’t and couldn’t raise my son, but now he’s going to one of the best public schools." "I’m a mother. I’m a woman. People seem to think there’s something strange about me wanting to have sex or enjoying it. People with disabilities are made invisible and silent. They need encouragement in gaining confidence and becoming as self sufficient as possible. This programme has given me confidence. I’ll make sure that what I learned I’ll teach to others." In Trinidad and Tobago, many young people face challenges when it comes to accessing sexual and reproductive health services, but young people with disabilities face additional barriers due to stigmatization and social prejudices.  Young people with disabilities are often isolated and lack knowledge about sexual and reproductive health and rights. As a result, they can be vulnerable to sexual abuse. Rates of unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections are high among young people with disabilities.  In Port of Spain and San Fernando, the Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago (FPATT) set up 'Going Beyond the Walls' – a project to provide HIV testing and counselling to young people with disabilities. It offered a full range of other sexual and reproductive health services, from pap smears through to general counselling. They also organized seminars to sensitize young people to the issues faced by those with disabilities. Over 400 students attended educational sessions about people with disabilities and their sexual rights. Participants said their attitudes towards people with disabilities, and often towards themselves, had shifted significantly as a result of the project. They suggested that what they had learned should be communicated to everyone through campaigns, sensitization exercises and services. *Not her real name/image

disabilities
story

| 27 March 2024

Reaching young people with disabilities in Trinidad and Tobago

Trigger warning: this story contains details about sexual assualt Monique* shared with IPPF her experience as a young, disabled woman with a child:  "I was constantly raped by my father. I got pregnant. People thought I shouldn’t and couldn’t raise my son, but now he’s going to one of the best public schools." "I’m a mother. I’m a woman. People seem to think there’s something strange about me wanting to have sex or enjoying it. People with disabilities are made invisible and silent. They need encouragement in gaining confidence and becoming as self sufficient as possible. This programme has given me confidence. I’ll make sure that what I learned I’ll teach to others." In Trinidad and Tobago, many young people face challenges when it comes to accessing sexual and reproductive health services, but young people with disabilities face additional barriers due to stigmatization and social prejudices.  Young people with disabilities are often isolated and lack knowledge about sexual and reproductive health and rights. As a result, they can be vulnerable to sexual abuse. Rates of unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections are high among young people with disabilities.  In Port of Spain and San Fernando, the Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago (FPATT) set up 'Going Beyond the Walls' – a project to provide HIV testing and counselling to young people with disabilities. It offered a full range of other sexual and reproductive health services, from pap smears through to general counselling. They also organized seminars to sensitize young people to the issues faced by those with disabilities. Over 400 students attended educational sessions about people with disabilities and their sexual rights. Participants said their attitudes towards people with disabilities, and often towards themselves, had shifted significantly as a result of the project. They suggested that what they had learned should be communicated to everyone through campaigns, sensitization exercises and services. *Not her real name/image

lgbtq
story

| 30 September 2020

Fighting for LGBTI rights without fear in USA

Erin from Syracuse, New York, has been a member of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) for several years. She joined PPFA as National Campus Organizer for youth organizing in May 2014. Prior to joining, Erin was a local campus organizer at Syracuse University in New York working closely with Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York.  Erin graduated from Syracuse University with a B.A. in Policy Studies and Women's and Gender Studies.  “As a member of the LGBTI community and a young person in the United States, I’ve learned first-hand what it means to be on the front lines of fighting for equal rights and access in the Western world. Growing up in the 1990s, when the Defense of Marriage Act was signed into law and in the years that followed, I experienced firsthand what it meant to be a second-class citizen: and it all happened because I was a young, queer woman that decided to come out. Living in the shadows You could say I always knew that I was different, and I think many members of my chosen queer family can relate. Many of us live in the shadows every day out of fear of shame and violence. We have to do better to ensure that young people live in a world without fear from being exactly who they are. Now, I do organizing work with Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) across the country, and work with young people in the LGBTI community every day. We tirelessly fight for better access to sex education, resources, and health care for all, in every nook of society – from our families, to our schools, to our communities, and with our elected officials. We at the PPFA National Office believe deeply that young people’s experiences, particularly those who live at the margins, should be center to and fuel our mission. For every campaign, for every advocacy and outreach effort, for every education program, we always think about the communities we are serving. Taking charge and standing up Young queer people in the United States are taking charge and standing up for their rights, and in the process, creating healthier communities. They are at the forefront of policy change: in Las Vegas, Nevada, our young advocates are organizing in their communities to pass culturally sound and comprehensive sex education policy; in South Florida, an area with the highest rate of new HIV infections in the United States, young people fought for and passed sex education policy directly impacting their lives. As demographics shift in the United States, young people are ensuring that power shifts along with it. As we continue to grow as a nation and improve resources for young people, we are also creating spaces for young people to take leadership roles and stand up for their communities. We are a generation fighting for our rights today.” The Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is a trusted health care provider, an informed educator, a passionate advocate, and a global partner helping similar organizations around the world. Planned Parenthood delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of women, men, and young people worldwide, including those from the LGBTI community. 

lgbtq
story

| 27 March 2024

Fighting for LGBTI rights without fear in USA

Erin from Syracuse, New York, has been a member of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) for several years. She joined PPFA as National Campus Organizer for youth organizing in May 2014. Prior to joining, Erin was a local campus organizer at Syracuse University in New York working closely with Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York.  Erin graduated from Syracuse University with a B.A. in Policy Studies and Women's and Gender Studies.  “As a member of the LGBTI community and a young person in the United States, I’ve learned first-hand what it means to be on the front lines of fighting for equal rights and access in the Western world. Growing up in the 1990s, when the Defense of Marriage Act was signed into law and in the years that followed, I experienced firsthand what it meant to be a second-class citizen: and it all happened because I was a young, queer woman that decided to come out. Living in the shadows You could say I always knew that I was different, and I think many members of my chosen queer family can relate. Many of us live in the shadows every day out of fear of shame and violence. We have to do better to ensure that young people live in a world without fear from being exactly who they are. Now, I do organizing work with Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) across the country, and work with young people in the LGBTI community every day. We tirelessly fight for better access to sex education, resources, and health care for all, in every nook of society – from our families, to our schools, to our communities, and with our elected officials. We at the PPFA National Office believe deeply that young people’s experiences, particularly those who live at the margins, should be center to and fuel our mission. For every campaign, for every advocacy and outreach effort, for every education program, we always think about the communities we are serving. Taking charge and standing up Young queer people in the United States are taking charge and standing up for their rights, and in the process, creating healthier communities. They are at the forefront of policy change: in Las Vegas, Nevada, our young advocates are organizing in their communities to pass culturally sound and comprehensive sex education policy; in South Florida, an area with the highest rate of new HIV infections in the United States, young people fought for and passed sex education policy directly impacting their lives. As demographics shift in the United States, young people are ensuring that power shifts along with it. As we continue to grow as a nation and improve resources for young people, we are also creating spaces for young people to take leadership roles and stand up for their communities. We are a generation fighting for our rights today.” The Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is a trusted health care provider, an informed educator, a passionate advocate, and a global partner helping similar organizations around the world. Planned Parenthood delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of women, men, and young people worldwide, including those from the LGBTI community. 

Manny Norman went from a substance abuser to a HIV outreach worker
story

| 30 September 2020

"They gave me hope to come back the next week"

It wasn’t the group meetings, the testing services or the health facilities that attracted Manny Norman, it was the offer of a free subway card and a bite to eat. A friend who was also a substance use told him about the workshops in a basement at a nearby community centre. Manny focused on the subway card which would be worth a few dollars if he sold it on. “I just wanted something to eat,” he says. “I hadn’t eaten in probably 20 hours. And the idea of getting more drugs without stealing sounded good to me.” Thirteen years later and he is still attending the Safety Counts meetings run by Planned Parenthood’s Project Street Beat, and credits them with helping him rebuild a life shattered by drug abuse. At the time, he explains he was neglecting his young family, stealing from them to buy crack cocaine and alcohol. His wife would call the police or lock him out of the home on an almost daily basis. “I was on crack and alcohol, the drugs that led me to dereliction, that led me to stealing, being unmanageable, not responsible, without a care in the world,” he says. “(I) didn’t want to work. I just wanted to feed my drug addiction.” Starting a new life But when he walked into the Safety Counts meetings, he says now, he realised he was among people who understood his life. “They met me where I was at,” he says. “They could tell I was under the influence. They could tell I was hurting, that I wasn’t doing the right thing and they made me feel no less than and no different. They gave me hope to come back the next week.” At first, he just went with the flow, focusing on the food and the subway card, not taking much notice of the services on offer. But eventually, he realised there were other people in the room he had come out the other side and rebuilt their lives. “We talked about harm reduction,” he says. “I could identify with the stories other people were telling. Lying, cheating, stealing, borrowing money knowing you wouldn’t pay it back.” Detox and rehab followed. He used the facilities of the projects mobile medical unit to get himself tested for Hepatitis C and HIV and has managed to stay clean, even training as an HIV outreach worker, and has rebuilt his family life. “It’s a happy home now,” he says. “My daughter got her father back, my wife got her husband back. Most of all I got myself back, thank God.” Without Project Street Beat he says his life would have continued its downward spiral. He would most likely be in prison today. Instead, he works as a supervisor for a cleaning company. And when he bumps into one of his friends from the old days he knows what to do. “When I walk down the street and see someone I know – someone I took drugs with or drank with – I let them know exactly where the mobile might be at,” he said. “I have cards in my pocket I give out to people and let them know this is the new way.” Watch Project Street Beat in action

Manny Norman went from a substance abuser to a HIV outreach worker
story

| 27 March 2024

"They gave me hope to come back the next week"

It wasn’t the group meetings, the testing services or the health facilities that attracted Manny Norman, it was the offer of a free subway card and a bite to eat. A friend who was also a substance use told him about the workshops in a basement at a nearby community centre. Manny focused on the subway card which would be worth a few dollars if he sold it on. “I just wanted something to eat,” he says. “I hadn’t eaten in probably 20 hours. And the idea of getting more drugs without stealing sounded good to me.” Thirteen years later and he is still attending the Safety Counts meetings run by Planned Parenthood’s Project Street Beat, and credits them with helping him rebuild a life shattered by drug abuse. At the time, he explains he was neglecting his young family, stealing from them to buy crack cocaine and alcohol. His wife would call the police or lock him out of the home on an almost daily basis. “I was on crack and alcohol, the drugs that led me to dereliction, that led me to stealing, being unmanageable, not responsible, without a care in the world,” he says. “(I) didn’t want to work. I just wanted to feed my drug addiction.” Starting a new life But when he walked into the Safety Counts meetings, he says now, he realised he was among people who understood his life. “They met me where I was at,” he says. “They could tell I was under the influence. They could tell I was hurting, that I wasn’t doing the right thing and they made me feel no less than and no different. They gave me hope to come back the next week.” At first, he just went with the flow, focusing on the food and the subway card, not taking much notice of the services on offer. But eventually, he realised there were other people in the room he had come out the other side and rebuilt their lives. “We talked about harm reduction,” he says. “I could identify with the stories other people were telling. Lying, cheating, stealing, borrowing money knowing you wouldn’t pay it back.” Detox and rehab followed. He used the facilities of the projects mobile medical unit to get himself tested for Hepatitis C and HIV and has managed to stay clean, even training as an HIV outreach worker, and has rebuilt his family life. “It’s a happy home now,” he says. “My daughter got her father back, my wife got her husband back. Most of all I got myself back, thank God.” Without Project Street Beat he says his life would have continued its downward spiral. He would most likely be in prison today. Instead, he works as a supervisor for a cleaning company. And when he bumps into one of his friends from the old days he knows what to do. “When I walk down the street and see someone I know – someone I took drugs with or drank with – I let them know exactly where the mobile might be at,” he said. “I have cards in my pocket I give out to people and let them know this is the new way.” Watch Project Street Beat in action

disabilities
story

| 30 September 2020

Reaching young people with disabilities in Trinidad and Tobago

Trigger warning: this story contains details about sexual assualt Monique* shared with IPPF her experience as a young, disabled woman with a child:  "I was constantly raped by my father. I got pregnant. People thought I shouldn’t and couldn’t raise my son, but now he’s going to one of the best public schools." "I’m a mother. I’m a woman. People seem to think there’s something strange about me wanting to have sex or enjoying it. People with disabilities are made invisible and silent. They need encouragement in gaining confidence and becoming as self sufficient as possible. This programme has given me confidence. I’ll make sure that what I learned I’ll teach to others." In Trinidad and Tobago, many young people face challenges when it comes to accessing sexual and reproductive health services, but young people with disabilities face additional barriers due to stigmatization and social prejudices.  Young people with disabilities are often isolated and lack knowledge about sexual and reproductive health and rights. As a result, they can be vulnerable to sexual abuse. Rates of unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections are high among young people with disabilities.  In Port of Spain and San Fernando, the Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago (FPATT) set up 'Going Beyond the Walls' – a project to provide HIV testing and counselling to young people with disabilities. It offered a full range of other sexual and reproductive health services, from pap smears through to general counselling. They also organized seminars to sensitize young people to the issues faced by those with disabilities. Over 400 students attended educational sessions about people with disabilities and their sexual rights. Participants said their attitudes towards people with disabilities, and often towards themselves, had shifted significantly as a result of the project. They suggested that what they had learned should be communicated to everyone through campaigns, sensitization exercises and services. *Not her real name/image

disabilities
story

| 27 March 2024

Reaching young people with disabilities in Trinidad and Tobago

Trigger warning: this story contains details about sexual assualt Monique* shared with IPPF her experience as a young, disabled woman with a child:  "I was constantly raped by my father. I got pregnant. People thought I shouldn’t and couldn’t raise my son, but now he’s going to one of the best public schools." "I’m a mother. I’m a woman. People seem to think there’s something strange about me wanting to have sex or enjoying it. People with disabilities are made invisible and silent. They need encouragement in gaining confidence and becoming as self sufficient as possible. This programme has given me confidence. I’ll make sure that what I learned I’ll teach to others." In Trinidad and Tobago, many young people face challenges when it comes to accessing sexual and reproductive health services, but young people with disabilities face additional barriers due to stigmatization and social prejudices.  Young people with disabilities are often isolated and lack knowledge about sexual and reproductive health and rights. As a result, they can be vulnerable to sexual abuse. Rates of unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections are high among young people with disabilities.  In Port of Spain and San Fernando, the Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago (FPATT) set up 'Going Beyond the Walls' – a project to provide HIV testing and counselling to young people with disabilities. It offered a full range of other sexual and reproductive health services, from pap smears through to general counselling. They also organized seminars to sensitize young people to the issues faced by those with disabilities. Over 400 students attended educational sessions about people with disabilities and their sexual rights. Participants said their attitudes towards people with disabilities, and often towards themselves, had shifted significantly as a result of the project. They suggested that what they had learned should be communicated to everyone through campaigns, sensitization exercises and services. *Not her real name/image

lgbtq
story

| 30 September 2020

Fighting for LGBTI rights without fear in USA

Erin from Syracuse, New York, has been a member of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) for several years. She joined PPFA as National Campus Organizer for youth organizing in May 2014. Prior to joining, Erin was a local campus organizer at Syracuse University in New York working closely with Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York.  Erin graduated from Syracuse University with a B.A. in Policy Studies and Women's and Gender Studies.  “As a member of the LGBTI community and a young person in the United States, I’ve learned first-hand what it means to be on the front lines of fighting for equal rights and access in the Western world. Growing up in the 1990s, when the Defense of Marriage Act was signed into law and in the years that followed, I experienced firsthand what it meant to be a second-class citizen: and it all happened because I was a young, queer woman that decided to come out. Living in the shadows You could say I always knew that I was different, and I think many members of my chosen queer family can relate. Many of us live in the shadows every day out of fear of shame and violence. We have to do better to ensure that young people live in a world without fear from being exactly who they are. Now, I do organizing work with Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) across the country, and work with young people in the LGBTI community every day. We tirelessly fight for better access to sex education, resources, and health care for all, in every nook of society – from our families, to our schools, to our communities, and with our elected officials. We at the PPFA National Office believe deeply that young people’s experiences, particularly those who live at the margins, should be center to and fuel our mission. For every campaign, for every advocacy and outreach effort, for every education program, we always think about the communities we are serving. Taking charge and standing up Young queer people in the United States are taking charge and standing up for their rights, and in the process, creating healthier communities. They are at the forefront of policy change: in Las Vegas, Nevada, our young advocates are organizing in their communities to pass culturally sound and comprehensive sex education policy; in South Florida, an area with the highest rate of new HIV infections in the United States, young people fought for and passed sex education policy directly impacting their lives. As demographics shift in the United States, young people are ensuring that power shifts along with it. As we continue to grow as a nation and improve resources for young people, we are also creating spaces for young people to take leadership roles and stand up for their communities. We are a generation fighting for our rights today.” The Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is a trusted health care provider, an informed educator, a passionate advocate, and a global partner helping similar organizations around the world. Planned Parenthood delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of women, men, and young people worldwide, including those from the LGBTI community. 

lgbtq
story

| 27 March 2024

Fighting for LGBTI rights without fear in USA

Erin from Syracuse, New York, has been a member of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) for several years. She joined PPFA as National Campus Organizer for youth organizing in May 2014. Prior to joining, Erin was a local campus organizer at Syracuse University in New York working closely with Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York.  Erin graduated from Syracuse University with a B.A. in Policy Studies and Women's and Gender Studies.  “As a member of the LGBTI community and a young person in the United States, I’ve learned first-hand what it means to be on the front lines of fighting for equal rights and access in the Western world. Growing up in the 1990s, when the Defense of Marriage Act was signed into law and in the years that followed, I experienced firsthand what it meant to be a second-class citizen: and it all happened because I was a young, queer woman that decided to come out. Living in the shadows You could say I always knew that I was different, and I think many members of my chosen queer family can relate. Many of us live in the shadows every day out of fear of shame and violence. We have to do better to ensure that young people live in a world without fear from being exactly who they are. Now, I do organizing work with Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) across the country, and work with young people in the LGBTI community every day. We tirelessly fight for better access to sex education, resources, and health care for all, in every nook of society – from our families, to our schools, to our communities, and with our elected officials. We at the PPFA National Office believe deeply that young people’s experiences, particularly those who live at the margins, should be center to and fuel our mission. For every campaign, for every advocacy and outreach effort, for every education program, we always think about the communities we are serving. Taking charge and standing up Young queer people in the United States are taking charge and standing up for their rights, and in the process, creating healthier communities. They are at the forefront of policy change: in Las Vegas, Nevada, our young advocates are organizing in their communities to pass culturally sound and comprehensive sex education policy; in South Florida, an area with the highest rate of new HIV infections in the United States, young people fought for and passed sex education policy directly impacting their lives. As demographics shift in the United States, young people are ensuring that power shifts along with it. As we continue to grow as a nation and improve resources for young people, we are also creating spaces for young people to take leadership roles and stand up for their communities. We are a generation fighting for our rights today.” The Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is a trusted health care provider, an informed educator, a passionate advocate, and a global partner helping similar organizations around the world. Planned Parenthood delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of women, men, and young people worldwide, including those from the LGBTI community. 

Manny Norman went from a substance abuser to a HIV outreach worker
story

| 30 September 2020

"They gave me hope to come back the next week"

It wasn’t the group meetings, the testing services or the health facilities that attracted Manny Norman, it was the offer of a free subway card and a bite to eat. A friend who was also a substance use told him about the workshops in a basement at a nearby community centre. Manny focused on the subway card which would be worth a few dollars if he sold it on. “I just wanted something to eat,” he says. “I hadn’t eaten in probably 20 hours. And the idea of getting more drugs without stealing sounded good to me.” Thirteen years later and he is still attending the Safety Counts meetings run by Planned Parenthood’s Project Street Beat, and credits them with helping him rebuild a life shattered by drug abuse. At the time, he explains he was neglecting his young family, stealing from them to buy crack cocaine and alcohol. His wife would call the police or lock him out of the home on an almost daily basis. “I was on crack and alcohol, the drugs that led me to dereliction, that led me to stealing, being unmanageable, not responsible, without a care in the world,” he says. “(I) didn’t want to work. I just wanted to feed my drug addiction.” Starting a new life But when he walked into the Safety Counts meetings, he says now, he realised he was among people who understood his life. “They met me where I was at,” he says. “They could tell I was under the influence. They could tell I was hurting, that I wasn’t doing the right thing and they made me feel no less than and no different. They gave me hope to come back the next week.” At first, he just went with the flow, focusing on the food and the subway card, not taking much notice of the services on offer. But eventually, he realised there were other people in the room he had come out the other side and rebuilt their lives. “We talked about harm reduction,” he says. “I could identify with the stories other people were telling. Lying, cheating, stealing, borrowing money knowing you wouldn’t pay it back.” Detox and rehab followed. He used the facilities of the projects mobile medical unit to get himself tested for Hepatitis C and HIV and has managed to stay clean, even training as an HIV outreach worker, and has rebuilt his family life. “It’s a happy home now,” he says. “My daughter got her father back, my wife got her husband back. Most of all I got myself back, thank God.” Without Project Street Beat he says his life would have continued its downward spiral. He would most likely be in prison today. Instead, he works as a supervisor for a cleaning company. And when he bumps into one of his friends from the old days he knows what to do. “When I walk down the street and see someone I know – someone I took drugs with or drank with – I let them know exactly where the mobile might be at,” he said. “I have cards in my pocket I give out to people and let them know this is the new way.” Watch Project Street Beat in action

Manny Norman went from a substance abuser to a HIV outreach worker
story

| 27 March 2024

"They gave me hope to come back the next week"

It wasn’t the group meetings, the testing services or the health facilities that attracted Manny Norman, it was the offer of a free subway card and a bite to eat. A friend who was also a substance use told him about the workshops in a basement at a nearby community centre. Manny focused on the subway card which would be worth a few dollars if he sold it on. “I just wanted something to eat,” he says. “I hadn’t eaten in probably 20 hours. And the idea of getting more drugs without stealing sounded good to me.” Thirteen years later and he is still attending the Safety Counts meetings run by Planned Parenthood’s Project Street Beat, and credits them with helping him rebuild a life shattered by drug abuse. At the time, he explains he was neglecting his young family, stealing from them to buy crack cocaine and alcohol. His wife would call the police or lock him out of the home on an almost daily basis. “I was on crack and alcohol, the drugs that led me to dereliction, that led me to stealing, being unmanageable, not responsible, without a care in the world,” he says. “(I) didn’t want to work. I just wanted to feed my drug addiction.” Starting a new life But when he walked into the Safety Counts meetings, he says now, he realised he was among people who understood his life. “They met me where I was at,” he says. “They could tell I was under the influence. They could tell I was hurting, that I wasn’t doing the right thing and they made me feel no less than and no different. They gave me hope to come back the next week.” At first, he just went with the flow, focusing on the food and the subway card, not taking much notice of the services on offer. But eventually, he realised there were other people in the room he had come out the other side and rebuilt their lives. “We talked about harm reduction,” he says. “I could identify with the stories other people were telling. Lying, cheating, stealing, borrowing money knowing you wouldn’t pay it back.” Detox and rehab followed. He used the facilities of the projects mobile medical unit to get himself tested for Hepatitis C and HIV and has managed to stay clean, even training as an HIV outreach worker, and has rebuilt his family life. “It’s a happy home now,” he says. “My daughter got her father back, my wife got her husband back. Most of all I got myself back, thank God.” Without Project Street Beat he says his life would have continued its downward spiral. He would most likely be in prison today. Instead, he works as a supervisor for a cleaning company. And when he bumps into one of his friends from the old days he knows what to do. “When I walk down the street and see someone I know – someone I took drugs with or drank with – I let them know exactly where the mobile might be at,” he said. “I have cards in my pocket I give out to people and let them know this is the new way.” Watch Project Street Beat in action