Health Information Center, News and Events

Claire’s (in-country project manager) personal account.

In August it rained a lot in Dehong Prefecture, which is a sub-tropical area. Usually it rains throughout the season from June till September, so we decided to carry out the project in different ways. In June and July we couldn’t make up our minds.

Then in late July we decided to set up an INFORMATION INQUIRY CENTRE on a street in Mangshi Town. Most sex workers live in the neighbourhood, and it is also where the market is located. Every day people trade for goods here; and every five days it is a centre of larger-scaled market, when people from towns and villages all over Luxi City come here to sell and buy things.

We set up the CENTRE at this location because it is really the centre and we can more easily get access to common local people who need our service. We furnished the CENTRE on August 6-7 with a TV, a big cupboard, some tables, desks, stools, and some brochures, pamphlets on HIV/AIDS and some sexual diseases such as the clap, syphilis, etc. Condoms are in the glass cupboard so that people visiting our CENTRE can see and ask for them if they need some.

The costs of this set-up were shared between HOPE International Development Agency and the CDC.

Why did we set up the CENTRE?

• Lack of education and information is one of the main causes of reproductive health problems such as HIV/AIDS, and STDs
• Providing reproductive health education and friendly service is necessary step to prevent HIV/AIDS
• Unsafe and unwanted pregnancy — remains one of the greatest risks to, in particular, young girls’ and women’s health, resulting in more than half a million pregnancy-related deaths every year worldwide. The prevention of unwanted pregnancies through education and service is very important for young people.
• It’s a community based approach —- community members in a permanent location working to protect girls and women’s health and safeguard the stability of the community.

What services do the CENTRE provide?

• Attractive and user-friendly informative, and educational materials are provided and distributed
• Provide education on prevention of unsafe and unwanted pregnancy as well as counseling
• Promote voluntary testing of STDs and HIV/ADS among youth
• Provide condoms and contraceptives in as many places as possible (public restrooms, pubs, hotels, etc.)
• Provide clean needles for drug addicts
• Peer counseling: recruitment and training of sex workers to become peer counselors

What more do we hope to achieve through this CENTRE, now and in the future?

• Regular activities and meetings, orientations, and training sessions, participatory training workshops
• Poverty and HIV/AIDS are among the most widely discussed topics, so we hope we can provide training for young people increasing knowledge, skills; including them in the fund-raising for and management of the CENTRE in order to guarantee the sustainability of the project
• If the CENTRE is a success, we hope to expand the CENTRE and its model to other locations, in town and rural areas