The community joins hands to fight against HIV/AIDS.

The HIV/AIDS situation in Quang Ninh province has been largely controlled and pushed back, but the epidemic still harbors complex and unpredictable factors. To continue controlling the HIV infection rate in the community, all levels, sectors, and socio-political organizations and associations have implemented various approaches and specific measures to work together to combat the epidemic.

The "Helping Friends Rehabilitate" Club is a place for people who have made mistakes to meet and share knowledge about preventing and controlling HIV/AIDS infection.

Following the police officers from Cam Pha Ward, we visited the "Helping Friends Rehabilitate" Club. The meeting was truly special, bringing together individuals who had once made mistakes but are now overcoming their guilt, stabilizing their lives, and reintegrating into the community. Taking advantage of their free time, they shared stories about economic development, legal knowledge, and information on preventing relapse and HIV/AIDS transmission.

For the past 13 years, the "Helping Friends Rehabilitate" Club in Cam Pha has always been open to welcoming people recovering from drug addiction. The club serves as a support system for those recovering from drug addiction, a place for sharing, empathy, and rekindling the desire for rehabilitation. Notably, the club has also created sustainable livelihoods with two exemplary models: a "Helping Friends" ice production facility, providing employment for 5 workers and generating 500-600 million VND per year, and an ecological ornamental plant cultivation facility, bringing in 6-7 million VND per month for many former offenders.

Mr. Pham Tat Nghia, the club's chairman and founder, said: "Some members in the group have contracted HIV from sharing needles and syringes while using drugs. Therefore, we have been educating members to get tested and take their medication regularly if they are infected, and to learn how to protect their family members."

Over the past period, Hiep Hoa ward has consistently prioritized HIV/AIDS prevention and control, especially given the complex population migration from many provinces and cities across the country. Therefore, the ward has intensified direct outreach in residential areas, worker dormitories, and businesses, integrating HIV/AIDS prevention information into neighborhood meetings and community group activities. The communication content focuses on raising awareness about prevention, encouraging early testing, reducing stigma, and supporting the integration of people living with HIV into the community.

The Hiep Hoa Ward Health Station organized an HIV prevention and control awareness campaign at Hiep Hoa Secondary School.

According to Ms. Dao Thi Huong Giang, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hiep Hoa Ward: In the coming time, the ward will continue to focus on innovating communication methods, concentrating more on workers and students. We will strengthen communication through social media, visual billboards, and easy-to-understand leaflets, while expanding the team of health collaborators in residential areas to advise and support people in accessing medical services, such as regular testing, ARV treatment, and PREP. The ward's goal is to build a safe, non-discriminatory community where all citizens, including temporary workers and students, have equal access to information and medical services.

Over the years, HIV/AIDS prevention and control efforts have received attention and coordinated implementation from various sectors, organizations, and localities throughout the province. In particular, the "All citizens participate in HIV/AIDS prevention and control in residential communities" movement, widely implemented in communes and wards, has contributed to a fundamental change in awareness regarding the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Various departments, agencies, and organizations have developed numerous programs and commitments to implement HIV/AIDS prevention and control work from the provincial to the grassroots level; effectively managing high-risk groups (drug addicts, sex workers, managing drug and prostitution hotspots). They have coordinated the dissemination of legal knowledge related to HIV/AIDS, creating conditions for families with HIV-infected members to access loans to support and develop their household economies; and encouraged and mobilized people living with HIV to participate in clubs and self-help groups to share and support each other in overcoming life's difficulties.

The coordinated involvement of the political system and the consensus of the people have changed the awareness and behavior of the community towards people living with HIV, helping to implement HIV/AIDS prevention and control work effectively, thereby reducing the burden on the socio-economic system.

Ngoc Tram

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/cong-dong-chung-tay-day-lui-dich-benh-3386625.html