EpiC is an eight-year global initiative that provides strategic technical assistance and direct service delivery to achieve HIV epidemic control and strengthen global health security.
Written by Robyn Dayton, Technical Advisor, LINKAGES, and Aubrey Weber, Technical Officer, Research Utilization, FHI 360 [caption id="attachment_1390" align="alignnone" width="1002"] Informational GBV materials are placed in the District Attorney's office in Puerto Plata.[/caption] LINKAGES is partnering with the Center for... Continue Reading
Webinar hosted by the LINKAGES project as part of the Key Populations: Evidence in action series. To access the audio recording of the webinar, please click here. On November 30th, the USAID- and PEPFAR-supported LINKAGES project hosted the second webinar... Continue Reading
Written by Chris Akolo, Technical Director, LINKAGES Today marks the 19th World AIDS Day – a global call for unity in working toward epidemic control, support for people living with HIV, and commemoration of the more than 35 million people... Continue Reading
Written by Vanessa Mosenge, Gender-Based Violence Consultant, LINKAGES [caption id="attachment_1361" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Representatives from the government, local NGOs, and CBOs pose for a group photo at a GBV stakeholder meeting in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Photograph by Christian Tanyi.[/caption] In Francophone Africa, as in... Continue Reading
Written by Giuliana Morales, Senior Technical Officer, Research Utilization, FHI 360, and Aubrey Weber, Technical Officer, Research Utilization, FHI 360 [caption id="attachment_1357" align="alignnone" width="1280"] LINKAGES, CHAMP, and CBOs participate in a small group discussion on strategies to improve the implementation... Continue Reading
Written by Kim Dixon, Gender-Based Violence Consultant, LINKAGES [caption id="attachment_1350" align="alignnone" width="1135"] LINKAGES' South Sudan team shares their commitment to addressing GBV during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.[/caption] Before joining the LINKAGES project, I spent most... Continue Reading
Written by Hally Mahler, Project Director, LINKAGES, and Rose Wilcher, Director, Research Utilization, FHI 360 This blog post was first featured on the LINKAGES blog in November 2016. In 2015, a friend and colleague, Beyonce Karungi, wrote about what it is like to be a... Continue Reading
Interviewee: Macarena Pérez, Transgender Peer Educator, Centro de Promoción y Solidaridad Humana (CEPROSH), Dominican Republic Interviewer: Betty Alvarez, Consultant, FHI 360 Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance on November 20th that honors the memory of lives lost in... Continue Reading
Written by Neo Monnapula, Monitoring & Evaluation Officer, Nkaikela Youth Group, Botswana Nkaikela Youth Group is a nongovernmental organization that serves female sex workers 18 years and older. The organization is currently supported by LINKAGES to provide HIV prevention, care,... Continue Reading
This blog is managed by the EpiC project and dedicated to sharing stories, events, and resources from HIV epidemic control efforts around the world.
Assessment
A questionnaire or “screener” meant to be used with individual patients in a clinical setting to screen for, help diagnose, or monitor progress for individual mental health conditions.
Intervention
Larger packages or broader-reaching resources that describe actions or activities to be implemented. These may be appropriate for individuals, groups, and/or programs.
Anxiety
Feelings of fear, dread, and uneasiness that may occur as a reaction to stress. Anxiety can be a symptom or a feeling; it can also be a clinical diagnosis of a mental health condition.
Burnout
A state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress, typically related to one’s work, that is not managed well. Burnout is considered an occupational phenomenon.
Clinical diagnoses
Mental or neuropsychiatric disorders, or disruptive, unusual, or maladaptive behaviors that have been evaluated and diagnosed by a trained medical professional.
Depression
A mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest.
Disability
A physical or mental condition that limits a person’s movements, senses, or activities.
Insomnia
A sleep disorder, or disordered sleep pattern, characterized by trouble falling and/or staying asleep.
Overall well-being
The state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy; judging one’s own life positively; generally, “feeling good.”
Post-traumatic stress (PTS)
A normal adaptive response to traumatic or stressful life events that can result in a wide range of distressing symptoms. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) differs from PTS and is a clinical diagnosis.
Self-efficacy
An individual’s belief in their capacity to act in the ways necessary to reach specific goals.
Self-harm/suicidality
Deliberate injury to oneself as an emotional coping mechanism, ranging from cutting oneself to suicide. Expressions of self-harm and/or suicidality are usually considered an emergency and should be assessed and managed by a trained professional.
Social support
The perception that one is cared for, has assistance available if needed, and that one is part of a supportive social network.
Stress
Any type of change to one’s internal or external environment that causes physical, emotional, or psychological strain. “Managing stress” is an effort to return from this state of strain or disturbance to homeostasis or well-being.
Substance abuse
Use of a substance (usually drugs or alcohol) in amounts or by methods that are harmful to oneself or others. Substance use disorder (SUD) and addiction are distinct clinical diagnoses.
Trauma
Lasting biopsychosocial and/or emotional response that often results from experiencing a terrible event such as an accident, crime, military combat, or natural disaster, or a series of chronic traumatic events like persistent abuse or neglect.
Program beneficiary
Individual who receives program services; an entire group or population may be the recipient of services.
Service provider
Individual who directly provides services to another individual, group, or population (the “program beneficiary”) through a program.