HIV/AIDS and Immigration Service Advocate Training Manual – August 2002

The Committee for Accessible AIDS Treatment is a group of service providers from over 20 AIDS service organizations and other health and social service agencies across Toronto. In 2001, CAAT co-ordinated an action research project, Improving Access to Health Care for People Living with HIV/AIDS Who Are Immigrants, Refugees or Without Status, which documented the experiences of people with HIV/AIDS who were struggling with the immigration system. This manual was conceived as a response to some of the report’s findings.

This manual was designed to train service providers to facilitate access to services for immigrants and refugees with HIV/AIDS. We hope to bring service providers from different fields together so that they can learn from each other’s experiences, network with others, acquire knowledge and develop new skills. This manual was created using a train-the-trainer model: it is hoped that some participants will go on to lead workshops with their peers.