“
- The donated Cisco equipment - helps us a lot in our daily work because it is professional. We have no IN BRIEF errors with it. None at all.” Ilie Preda, ARAS IT Coordinator
Who are they?
ARAS (Romanian Anti-AIDS Organization) www.arasnet.ro
CISCO DONATION HELPS GROUP FIGHT AIDS IN ROMANIA
Where are they?
Bucharest, Romania What to they do?
They inform and educate people about the dangers of AIDS and ways to prevent HIV infections. How big are they?
75 employees; 30 volunteers What did they receive?
Cisco 2960 Series 48-Port LAN Lite Ethernet Switch Cisco Rollover RJ-45 Serial Console Cable for Wireless LAN Products Cisco 890 Series Gigabit Ethernet Security Router Cisco 2960 Series 48-Port LAN Lite Ethernet Switch Cisco Rollover RJ-45 Serial Console Cable for Wireless LAN Products Cisco 890 Series Gigabit Ethernet Security Router What was the outcome?
ARAS became more efficient and increased its workflow.
ARAS (Romanian Anti-AIDS Organization) has helped more than 5,000 people who are drug addicts to find a new path, working on harm reduction in drug use since 2004. Sixty percent of the people it serves are between the ages of 24 and 35. An important part of the group’s work is to patrol the streets each night with an ambulance and offer sterile syringes in exchange for used ones — an effort to stop the spread of AIDS. But that’s just the first step in the organization’s harm-reduction strategy. ARAS also provides drug users with psychological assistance, access to medical care, and help in finding a job. For people who are often considered social pariahs, being treated and accepted as normal human beings is almost a miracle. “The biggest success is when you see that the person you serve is well today, here and now.” said Ludmila Verdes, who works on monitoring and evaluating the ARAS programs. “Your success means that for a certain period you offer him a normal, healthy life and try to protect him from getting ill.”
photo credit: ARAS volunteers, www.arasnet.ro
In 2010, ARAS received a donation of Cisco networking equipment through TechSoup Romania. The equipment helped the organization connect almost 60 PCs on an intranet network. As a result, the group’s work has become more efficient.
“[The donated Cisco equipment] helps us a lot in our daily work because it is professional. We do not have any errors with it. Not at all.” said Ilie Preda, IT coordinator for ARAS, adding that without the new technology the organization could not exist.
2013: TECHSOUP ROMANIA ANNUAL REPORT
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