The Dutch branch of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) began working in the countries of the former Soviet Union in 1996, focusing on HIV/AIDS prevention in Russia, Mongolia, and Ukraine.

In close cooperation with governments and private partners, Doctors Without Borders initiated healthcare reforms and promoted the implementation of a number of health-related strategies. These included nationwide media campaigns to raise awareness about safe sex and condom use, training for medical and social workers on methods to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS among people who use drugs, and the world’s largest research program on the emerging HIV/AIDS epidemic in Russian prisons.

As the need to continue HIV/AIDS prevention work grew, Doctors Without Borders transferred its responsibilities to a newly established international organization in which it played a founding role — the AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW). AFEW continued its mission in health care across the former Soviet Union, strengthening ties between East and West through the exchange of knowledge and expertise, while also helping Western countries gain a deeper understanding of the complex social and health challenges facing the region.

The International Charitable Foundation AIDS Foundation East-West (AFEW-Ukraine) was established on December 1, 2001, and officially registered in February 2002. In 2013, AFEW underwent a reorganization that led to greater decentralization, making AFEW-Ukraine a more independent organization within the network of NGOs working across Eastern Europe and Central Asia.