1) Prevention and control of HIV infection among Arabs
2) Encouraging self protection from infection
3) Dispelling common misconceptions
4) Referrals and follow-up after testing procedures
5) Effective use of counseling skills and treatment follow up

The strength of M.E.N.T.O.R.S. as a non profit organization lies in

1) Their experience in working at the community level
2) Their access to groups that are not easily reached through government programs
3) Their ability to act as a liaison to (or spokesperson for) target groups and serve to bridge the gap in a national or state program
4) Their ability to implement innovative demonstration projects
5) Their ability to carry out public awareness campaigns, particularly for the marginalized groups, in their native (vernacular) language

Goal

To curtail most AIDS-related morbidity and mortality by helping to preventing new cases among high risk groups in the Arabic speaking communities in the USA

Program Summary

M.E.N.T.O.R.S. is an HIV/AIDS counseling center situated in New York City with contacts in other target cities with large numbers of Arabic speaking residents.

The program is staffed by Arabic speaking persons, with counseling skills and experience in implementing community based programs. The program provides:

1) Community based and outreach programs including group discussions, lectures for high-risk groups and young people, and have links with other interested community organizations
2) Personal and group counseling for Arab reported AIDS cases, their families and their surroundings
3) Anonymous telephone counseling
4) Arabic educational materials, like videos, books, films and pamphlets, flyers