This interview with a Mae La camp HIV counsellor last World AIDS Day is worth a read. He doesn't address the question of why activities are targeted at the general population when there is low HIV prevalence in the camps.

[him] moderator

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Interview of Gay Doh Htoo, VCT counselor in charge in Maela camp

What is your position in AMI ?

I’m the VCT counselor in charge of Maela camp. I’m working with AMI since June 2007.

Can you explain the meaning of VCT?

VCT stands for voluntary Counseling and Testing. When someone has questions related to HIV or worries, he comes to a VCT center and receives information regarding transmission and prevention. All this is done in strict confidentiality and based on voluntary action: we can only suggest, we never force the person to do the testing. We inform the people about what are advantages of testing and why one should do it and we give information about HIV and prevention.

This part is the pre-counseling. After that, if the person is agree, we collect his blood and do the testing to check his HIV status. When we give him the result, we also give him information, what is the post counseling: if he or she is negative, we give information about prevention to avoid contamination, and if he or she is positive, we explain how to avoid transmission to others and how to live with HIV.

One part of our activity concerns support of people having HIV. We try to reduce discrimination and stigmatization among the community against PHA (people having AIDS). We organize social gathering and individual support to increase positive leaving.

Did you notice any changes in the situation in Maela camp since you started working with AMI?

Yes I observed some changes among the community, mainly regarding the understanding of HIV. They have more knowledge about the disease and the way of transmission and there is less discrimination against PHA. PHA are more and more involve and active in the activities. There is in general a positive change. Awareness has increased.

Today was World Aids Day. this was the second year it was organized in the camps. How did you organize it?

Yes this was the second year. We invited people from many other organizations to have a meeting including other AMI staff. We discussed together the activities that could be organized during 2 meetings.

Then VCT team managed all the preparation, decoration, we created the décor of the stage, draw all the paintings for the exhibition and arranged the place for the different activities. Camp health committee organized flowers and different things to ameliorate the décor on the stage.

We worked hard to make it nice and attractive! Then we meet among VCT team to finalize activities that should be organized.

What kind of activities did you organize?

There was first a play competition. 4 teams created a play with songs related to HIV. Solidarité, Bibleway School, Nb1 high school and Nb2 middle school prepared a show and presented their creation at the opening of world aids day. They have been judged and won prices accordingly.

We also had various activities to attract people, raise their interest and increase their knowledge regarding HIV, such as games (puzzle, ability, word games…), exhibitions (drawings and paintings related to respect, reducing discrimination, prevention…), testimony (people having AIDS talking about their story and life), quiz with questions related to HIV/AIDS.

There was also a stand to inform and recruit blood donors. People were informed about importance of giving blood and the one willing to go further were giving their name and address in order to be contacted when needed.

Who are the people attended these activities?

Regarding the number of persons who attended this day, I know that we distributed all 1500 ribbons, and many people didn’t get. We also had at least 150 persons who gave their name to be a potential blood donor, so we can say it was successful. Mostly children attended this day, but there were quite a lot of adults as well. We had few PHA who came to talk about HIV which was very interesting as well.

What is the feedback that you get from the people who attended this day?

Feed back was really good. Above the fact that people enjoyed and had a good time, they were listening; they were catching the information that was displayed through the plays, through the games and through the songs. I’m really happy with this day and with the interest and the involvement shown by the people.

What are the results that you expect from this day?

I think this kind of event can really increase awareness, improve knowledge related to HIV and decrease stigmatization and discrimination.

I also think that more people might come to visit VCT centers to get more information, and hopefully to accept testing.

What are the plans for the future regarding VCT activities?

Last year we focused a lot on youths, teenagers. Next year we’ll keep having peer to peer activities in order to maintain youth’s awareness and knowledge, but we’ll focus on male too. We plan to inform them about safe attitude that they should have. We also plan to organize another world aids day in 2009!

http://www.amifrance.org/Interview-of-Gay-Doh-Htoo-VCT.html