CHOICE HIV Aids

Seeing that Tibetan refugees were in need of effective HIV/AIDS preventative intervention early on, the Director of the Lung-ta project (Japanese NGO), Ms. Akemi Takahashi first supported the training on HIV/AIDS and related issues for a group of Tibetan professionals.

The group consisted of two doctors from the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute (TMAI), a senior nurse from the only Tibetan-run Hospital (Delek Hospital), the Director and staff from the Dharamshala based Kunphen Centre for Substance Use and Drug Abuse, and a member of the Tibetan Youth Congress.  These members underwent a three week intensive course on HIV/AIDS and its related issues at the SAHARA Centre for Residential Care and Rehabilitation (www.saharahouse.org), New Delhi, in order to take action to: scale up prevention intervention and design and implement comprehensive HIV programs. Our challenges include: promoting behavior change among men and women through a broad communication of information on HIV prevention such as promoting condom use, developing women’s negotiation skills through empowerment workshops; and reducing stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA).

www.choicehivaids.org