National HIV Prevention Conference Atlanta, Georgia, USA — July 27 - 30, 2003

Natl HIV Prev Conf 2003 July 27-30:abstract no. M1-C1902
Sherman SG, Bailey-Kloche M
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

ISSUE: Drug users' economic marginalization results from a complex array of factors, including limited job skills and a dearth of licit employment opportunities. Several innovative projects, located in Pakistan, Malaysia, and Bangladesh provide training and employment to active or former drug users. Yet few programs in the U.S. exist that specifically work with drug users to enhance their economic well-being. The JEWEL (Jewelry Education for Women Empowering their Lives) project, located in Baltimore, MD, aims to improve the physical and economic well-being of drug-using women who are involved in prostitution. JEWEL is based on the philosophy that providing drug users with a range of healthy options is fundamental to their making healthy decisions about their lives.

SETTING: JEWEL is located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is housed in a storefront located on a major thoroughfare in a neighborhood with high levels of illicit drug activity.

PROJECT: JEWEL is a quasi-experimental pre and post test pilot project. It's aims are: to assess the feasibility of a microcredit intervention focusing on job skills training among young drug using women involved in the sex industry; to examine the feasibility of creating and marketing HIV risk reduction messages by young drug using women involved in the sex industry; and to investigate the efficacy of a microcredit intervention in reducing HIV sexual and drug risk behaviors and frequency of trading sex for money or drugs among young female sex workers. After meeting inclusion criteria women are baselined and then asked to join a six-session intervention which focuses on training women sex workers in risk reduction, jewelry making, and provides women with an opportunity to sell their jewelry. Each 2-hour session is divided into two parts. The first is comprised of interactive HIV prevention activities. The latter focuses on the making, marketing, and selling of beaded jewelry. After the intervention is complete, women have the option to continue making and selling jewelry with future cohorts. Fifty women will participate in this pilot phase of the project. Follow-up surveys will be administered at three and six months.

RESULTS: The proposed presentation will describe the project as well as preliminary results. The project began in December, 2002.

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M1-C1902

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