Communities Should Rely On Themselves To Tackle Hiv/aids: Mechai

[Lite Beer]

Communities should rely on themselves to tackle HIV/Aids: Mechai
Wannapa Khaopa
The Nation on Sunday

People don't need to just wait for governments to help them overcome problems in their own communities. Many communities in various countries, including Thailand, have proved successful in combating HIV/Aids, a recent meeting of international partners dealing with HIV/Aids was told.

Those success stories will be shared with people from various parties and communities, policy-making bodies, international organisations and civil society to push forward more effective assistance to people living with HIV/Aids at the 11th International Congress on Aids in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP11).

"We still need to do a lot on our own rather than depend on governments," said Mechai Viravaidya, chairman of the Population and Community Development Association (PDA), who has a prominent role in empowering around 800 communities in Thailand to improve their quality of life.

PDA is leading ICAAP11's organisation. It is widely known for its pioneering programmes in family planning and HIV/Aids prevention. The Aids Society of Asia-Pacific and UNAids are the co-convenors of ICAAP11.

"At the congress, I will challenge the participants from the communities and civil society to try to rely more on themselves. Non-governmental organisations should seek budgets from running businesses as social enterprises, and not only rely on donations. I will encourage well-known people from the United Nations to meet multinational companies in Asia to show them how they can educate their staff and customers in HIV/Aids and how to support activities of NGOs and students working on the issue," Mechai added.

Steven Kraus, director of the UNAids Regional Support Team in Asia-Pacific, said ICAAP is about innovations - looking for new ways of doing things better.

"To do that well is community. The role of the government is crucial, but the innovations most often occur through communities and communities know their situation."

ICAAP provides a chance for people from communities, governments, the UN, development partners and international organisations to come together and exchange information, he said.

ICAAP11 will be held from November 18-22 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok. About 4,000 participants from countries in the Asia-Pacific are expected. The return of ICAAP to Thailand after 17 years represents a unique opportunity to reflect upon the journey of the fight against HIV/Aids in the region and more importantly to set a new trajectory in responding to the changing needs of people infected and affected by the HIV/Aids epidemics.

The theme of the conference - "Asia/Pacific Reaching Triple Zero: Investing in Innovation" - presents a regional response to a global call in reaching the goal of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero Aids-related deaths.

The ICAAP11 programme will focus on innovative ways of combating HIV/Aids and building practical knowledge and technology that does not need to be new, but will work best for targeted populations in specific environments and settings. It will also highlight revolutionising socio-political responses to Aids by enhancing political commitment, increasing capacity of local governments and engaging key affected populations.

-- The Nation 2013-04-21

[moe666]

Mechai does know what he is talking about

[Pi Sek]

Mechai does know what he is talking about

Former senator Mechai and his foundation are responsible for reducing the number of children per family in rural areas by more than a third since 1974 - through availability of contraception and through the same kind of community-level education that he's talking about in the OP. See www.cabbagesandcondoms.com

[waza]

Good point, waiting for the Yingluck government to do anything is a waste of time and lives.

[pain666]

I don't get it, what should they do exactly? Boil geckos and bird nests to give to infected people as a "traditional" medication to stop HIV from developing to AIDS?

Provide infected people with modern therapy and they will have long lives ahead.

[Locationthailand]

Good point, waiting for the Yingluck government to do anything is a waste of time and lives.

Waiting for any govt to do anything such as this is not high on their priority list. They haven't found a way to scam money from it.