At Neftaly, we recognize that health, safety, and dignity are basic human rights — regardless of an individual’s circumstances. Our approach to public health and social development includes the implementation of harm reduction strategies that are grounded in compassion, evidence, and respect for individual agency.
What is Harm Reduction?
Harm reduction refers to a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at minimizing negative health, social, and legal impacts associated with high-risk behaviors. It acknowledges the complex realities of people’s lives and focuses on reducing harm, rather than ignoring or condemning the behavior itself.
Harm reduction is not about enabling risky behavior — it’s about meeting people where they are and supporting them to make safer, healthier choices at their own pace.
Why Neftaly Uses Harm Reduction
Neftaly works across diverse and underserved communities where people face multiple layers of vulnerability — from poverty and homelessness to substance use, gender-based violence, and lack of access to healthcare.
We adopt harm reduction principles because they:
- Save Lives: Harm reduction prevents deaths and the spread of diseases like HIV and Hepatitis C.
- Build Trust: Non-judgmental approaches foster trust between service providers and communities.
- Promote Dignity: People are treated with respect, not as problems to be solved.
- Encourage Engagement: When individuals feel safe and supported, they are more likely to access other health and social services.
- Support Long-Term Change: Harm reduction often serves as the first step toward recovery, rehabilitation, or reintegration.
How Neftaly Implements Harm Reduction Strategies
Our harm reduction efforts are holistic, community-led, and context-specific. We work closely with individuals, local organizations, and government partners to design and deliver services that reflect the needs of the people we serve.
Key areas of implementation include:
- Substance Use
- Distribution of clean needles and syringes
- Opioid substitution therapy (where legal)
- Safe-use education and overdose prevention (including Naloxone training)
- Sexual Health
- Free distribution of condoms and lubricants
- Access to STI testing, counseling, and treatment
- Education on consent, safe sex, and reproductive rights
- Youth and Risk Prevention
- Outreach to at-risk youth involved in unsafe sex, gang activity, or substance use
- Safe spaces and peer-led education programs
- Mental health support and trauma-informed care
- Gender-Based Violence
- Safety planning and harm reduction for individuals unable to leave abusive environments
- Trauma-informed support services and legal referral pathways
- Homelessness and Street-Involved Populations
- Mobile clinics and hygiene kits
- Referrals to shelters, rehabilitation, and employment programs
Harm Reduction in Action: A Neftaly Example
In a high-risk urban area, Neftaly partnered with local outreach workers to distribute harm reduction kits to individuals who use injectable drugs. The initiative included peer education and referrals to health services. As a result, there was a noticeable drop in infection rates, and over 40% of participants voluntarily enrolled in rehabilitation programs within the first year.
Our Commitment
Neftaly is committed to promoting health, human rights, and social justice through harm reduction. We reject stigma and discrimination, and instead promote policies and programs that put compassion and effectiveness at the center of care.
We believe that everyone deserves the chance to live a safer, healthier life — on their own terms.