Nongovernment Organizations and Civil Society

HIV/AIDS Awareness Training Reaches Remote China

The Asian Development Bank has funded an HIV/AIDS awareness project in remote mountains in China's Qinghai and Gansu provinces.

The two-year project, which ended in early 2009, was carried out by a nongovernment organization, the China Association of Ethnic Economy. It reported that the project was a success with HIV/AIDS prevention awareness rates of up to 90% among those targeted. The organization reported that it is confident that this success has prepared it for further scaling-up of HIV/AIDS prevention activities elsewhere in China.

Local Support Key to Success

The group reported that one of the reasons for the success of the program was the establishment of a coordination mechanism among all parties. It made sure it had the support of local government agencies, women representatives, and school leaders. Most importantly, it ensured the support of religious leaders. Religion plays an important role in the project areas, which are populated by Muslim and Tibetan Buddhist minority groups.

The organization said that strong cooperation and advocacy resulted in more than 30% of the population benefiting from the project.

Religious Events and Schools Instrumental in Raising Awareness

Religious festivals around mosques and temples provided opportunities for anti-HIV/AIDS workers to disseminate information and condoms, give lectures, and perform plays related to the fight against the epidemic. Schools were important centers for recruiting teachers and students to become long-term HIV/AIDS prevention volunteers. People between the ages of 18 to 30 were particularly receptive to visual performances as an education tool.

Some advocacy activities expanded to ethnic regions beyond the project areas. An emphasis on women in the pasturing areas resulted in their improved health care.

Challenging Conditions

The project was carried out in difficult conditions, including high altitude and low temperatures.