Stepping Stones in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Stepping Stones has been adapted into several Eastern European and Central Asian languages and contexts.
In Russia, Stepping Stones is called "Fifteen" (to illustrate the coverage of the 15 Russian States). It was edited and adapted by the Russian NGO "Humanitarian Projects" from Siberia (the most experienced training team on HIV and AIDS issues in Russia) with financial support of Social Service Agency of Protestant Churches in Germany ("Bread for the World"). The project began in 2005 and is still developping: according to the project's plan, several team members will have completed additional training by the end of 2010. It contains new sessions and new topics close to the Russian mind and reality. It was approved by two very important Russian experts on educational issues from state institutions who gave own positive reviews on this new method. "Fifteen" was presented in the Europe and Central Asia AIDS conference held on 28-30th October in Moscow, Russia.
Our contact for the region is Elena Veselovskaya - click here to listen to Elena's presentation at the Women's Networking Zone (2010 Vienna AIDS Conference) about the adaptation of Stepping Stones into "15" for communities in Russian-speaking countries". Elena's PowerPoint presentation is available here.
In Kyrgyzstan, Stepping Stones was translated and adapted by UNFPA. A pilot program was conducted between 2002 and 2007 by UNFPA together with WHO, UNICEF, and ILO-STEP, supported the Stronger Voices for Reproductive Health project in Kyrgyzstan. Relevant reports can be downloaded here.
In Estonia, Stepping Stones was translated and adapted by Anne Burghardt with the support of the Evangelical Church in Germany. The manual was developed to tackle issues such as alcohol and drug use but also violence against women. To access Stepping Stones in Estonian, please contact us.