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HIV Care Bridges a Great Divide
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Photo: USAID/Suzanne Ross
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This Bangkok family says
that USAID assistance has
helped them maintain self
respect and no longer be a
financial or social burden to
their communities. “The
[home care] visits motivate
me to get up and do things.
Now I am helping my family,”
said the husband.
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The parents of this Bangkok family of five tested positive for HIV last year. The illness compromised their livelihoods, while their young children, who had no access to public schools, had to fend for themselves.
Although treatment can alleviate the effects of
HIV/AIDS, poverty and social stigmas can
seriously undermine even medical miracles. In
Thailand, USAID is using a novel approach to
reduce prejudice against HIV-infected people
and alleviate poverty among HIV-affected
households. In addition to offering antiretroviral
treatment, the Positive Partnership program’s
integrated approach has improved many
people’s ability to manage the disease,
generate income and maintain family responsibilities.
In an effort to create understanding among adults, Positive
Partnerships matches people who have HIV with non-infected
people, provides them with vocational training and helps them
start small businesses together. USAID also supports homebased
care to 400 HIV-positive residents of Bangkok’s slums.
To reduce the stigma against children in educational settings,
Positive Partnerships provides community counseling and
scholarships that benefit more than 4,000 HIV-affected
preschoolers. Hospices provide care, counseling and vocational
training for families, enabling more than 200 children —
including the three pictured here — to attend school and
develop skills that will protect them from exploitation.
These Bangkok parents say they are grateful for USAID’s
assistance, which has helped them maintain self respect and
no longer be a financial or social burden to their communities.
Their neighbors say they are less afraid to help them now that
they know more about HIV/AIDS, and the children say they live
in a happier home because their parents are well and they can
go back to school.
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