SHARE

HIV Prevention and PLWHA (People Living With HIV/AIDS) Support Project in Northeastern Thailand

Location

Northeastern Thailand：Khemarat, Ubon Ratchathani Prefecture（870km eastern Bangkok）

Our aim is to create a society where people with or without HIV/AIDS can live in harmony

Since the first report of HIV infection in 1984, more than one million people have been infected with HIV in Thailand. Currently, about 600,000 people are estimated to be HIV-positive, and about 1.4% of the Thai population aged 15 to 49 are infected with HIV. Although the number of those infected anew is decreasing over the years, 30,000 are estimated to have died from AIDS in 2007. The government recently started offering free anti-retroviral agents, thus changing the treatment environment for HIV-positive patients. In 2007、61% of those requiring treatments in Thailand were able to access medical care. In the areas where SHARE carries out its activities, many workers migrate to cities or to fishing areas, and a number of them return home without realizing that they were infected with HIV. There are many cases of sexual transmission between partners and vertical HIV transmissions from mother to child. Mounting problems include discrimination and prejudice against HIV-positive people, orphans and bereaved families of AIDS patients, economic instability, and difficulty getting medical care for HIV-positive people. SHARE believes that the people themselves, including the people in PLWHA, should help deal with such AIDS-related problems, and thus offers education on HIV and campaigns against HIV. We also support PLWHA in forming mutual help groups to promote communities without discrimination and prejudice, and to teach people to respect one another whether or not they are infected with HIV. When such communities are attained, we will be able to overcome the AIDS-related problems.

Current Projects

Monthly Meetings Support by Home Visits Activities for Lao Migrant Workers/Sex Workers Activities with MSM (Men having Sex with Men) AIDS Prevention/Awareness Raising Campaign Youth Group Support