US-Russia Volunteer Initiative (USRVI)

Stories from the Field

Katherine Klein and Tamara Kowalski
Youth Organization “Window to Future”, Glazov

Tamara Kowalski (left) and Katherine Klein
(right) giving a lecture on HIV/AIDS prevention
at a local school in Glazov.

Katherine Klein and Tamara Kowalski spent the bulk of their time in Russia teaching HIV/AIDS awareness lessons to school children, visiting two schools a day, six days a week. Having brought hundreds of red HIV/AIDS awareness ribbons from home, the two would end each lesson by giving everyone a ribbon to wear. Katherine said, “It was great to see them wearing them around town and spreading the news to others!” To ensure that HIV/AIDS education continues after they return home, Katherine and Tamara developed an English and Russian PowerPoint presentation about the disease, which they gave to all teachers and organizations with whom they have worked. Additionally, they organized a meeting for school officials and civic organization representatives to promote HIV/AIDS education and the culture of volunteerism. When not busy with educators, Katherine and Tamara found time to start a volunteer group at Glazov’s medical school. They taught the students about the transmission of HIV/AIDS in America and Africa and techniques used to curb the epidemic in those regions, stressing the importance of public awareness. By doing so, they have empowered a group of future doctors to educate the communities they serve, long after the US volunteers are gone.

Though Katherine and Tamara were happy with their impact in the city of Glazov, they saw that the communities outside the urban center were often overlooked by public health and medical services. To remedy this inequity, the two successfully applied for a USRVI alumni follow-on grant to educate the greater Glazov community about HIV/AIDS. They have organized a "Volunteer Health Bus,” staffed by the health specialists and youth volunteers who assisted them. The Volunteer Health Bus is a traveling campaign which promotes healthy lifestyles and knowledge of HIV/AIDS in communities surrounding the city of Glazov. The Bus utilizes theatrical events and interactive contests to engage the audience, especially children. In addition to spreading public health knowledge beyond the city limits of Glazov, the project has increased local capacity to run future social marketing campaigns.

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