Health
Cambodia:
EDC HHD Asia collaborated with Mith Samlanh, a local nonprofit organization in Phnom Penh that runs programs for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS and/or living on the streets. Through this partnership, Mith Samlanh works to reintegrate these children into society so that they are able to resume productive lives and leave the streets. The program’s key objectives are to identify children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS on the streets and in hospitals; provide emotional support; assist them in their reintegration into society through education and training; and place them with either extended family members or suitable foster care families.
India:
EDC HHD Asia and local lead partner Vasavya Mahila Mandali, along with other NGOs, provide HIV/AIDS orphans in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India with care and the opportunity to continue their education. EDC and its partners have educated thousands of children by providing scholarship support and non-formal education, have built local capacity by empowering children through child support groups, and have educated communities through outreach trips and HIV/AIDS awareness initiatives.
Thailand:
Working with YMCA in Nakhon Pathom, EDC HHD Asia provides life skills and health education training to children, their peers and families as well as communities of people living with HIV/AIDS. The program has educated more than 800 children in seven public schools about HIV/AIDS, child rights, and reproductive health and has provided educational scholarships to 30 children in grades 5–7 (between 11 and 14 years old).
EDC HHD Asia and the Association for Community and Ecology Development work together to assist families affected by HIV/AIDS and extreme poverty in the northern Thai province of Chiang Rai to reduce household expenses, generate sustainable incomes, and financially support their children’s education. 60 families are being trained and provided funding to enhance their entrepreneurial knowledge and vocational skills in order to start income generating activities.
Also in Chiang Rai, EDC HHD Asia works with its partner agency Sem Pringpuangkeo Foundation to provide educational opportunities, care, and support for orphaned children. The project contributes psycho-social and material support through educational scholarships to 335 children, regular visits to over 600 orphans and their families, and the monitoring of children’s health and progress at school.
Vietnam:
EDC HHD Asia and Save the Children, in collaboration with local government agencies, work in the provinces of Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Biac Giang, and Long An to support HIV/AIDS prevention activities such as peer education and awareness-raising events. The program also provides special care and support to an increasing number of AIDS orphans and their families through micro-credit loans, scholarships, and psychological counseling.
In Vietnam, EDC HHD Asia supports the work of Family Health International (FHI) by providing training and technical assistance on group facilitation skills to group leaders from across the country who operate community-based peer support groups for recovering heroin addicts. Heroin is the most commonly used illicit drug in Vietnam, accounting for 81% of all registered drug users. Existing forms of treatment and support show relapse rates that typically range from 80-100%. At the same time, heroin use through injection is one of the primary modes of HIV transmission in Vietnam. By partnering with other NGOs that operate in the region, this project fosters the development of ongoing social support for recovering heroin addicts, building on research-based principles of addiction recovery while adapting effective peer support group models to create a new national model that is culturally appropriate for Vietnam. In the second phase of the project, EDC HHD Asia will provide a “Training of Trainers” in conjunction with FHI, to develop the capacity of NGOs working in the country to further disseminate this peer support group model throughout Vietnam.