Our families, our friends, an action guide: mobilize your community for HIV/AIDS prevention and care

Using the experience of Mae Chan community (Thailand), this paper aims to identify and document best practice to help build up resilience to withstand the impact of HIV/AIDS. It is designed as an action guide to help communities affected by HIV/AIDS plan and implement activities and services in their community, and assist them to work toward goals such as:

• AIDS prevention and care that will make life better for PWHA in the community
• better access to care, including the treatment and prevention of other opportunistic infections, for HIV infected persons and AIDS patients
• attitudes of the community towards PWHA can change, becoming more supportive. Stigma and discrimination can be reduced
• the involvement of PWHA in self-help groups will enable them to get health care and source economic support
• preaching and counselling services provided by the monks can help in comforting PWHA and their families
• the community groups together with other organisations and businesses can collaborate to help PWHA generate income. And, outside the hospital, over the long term, such organisations can provide care and support to sick people and their families, including the orphans affected by HIV/AIDS
• a reduction in the prevalence of TB and PCP in your community
• a reduction in the rate of HIV transmission from mother-to-child
• care and counselling for drug users (injecting) to prevent HIV transmission

The paper demonstrates that community actions on the prevention and control of AIDS are initiated based on the community’s needs. The community hospital may play an important role in promoting and supporting care for PWHA within their area. In turn, the sustainability of controlling HIV problems in the community is based on the strength of that community.

Building resources within the community should be promoted, so that those concerned understand the problems, provide acceptance to PWHA, and work together to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS. Religious leaders can play a major role in providing support and encouraging social change towards the acceptance of PWHA. Self-help groups are very important community units, they provide care, psychosocial support and generate income for PWHA. The work plan of activities needs to be flexible, based on the needs of PWHA and their community.