Monday, May 12, 2008

Outreach

Our outreach program aims to prevent HIV/AIDS coming home to loved ones. For this very reason, we used to reach out to female Sex Workers (SW) and Trans Sexual (TS) sex workers in the streets of Ipoh.

Our team walked the dark streets and the back lanes to seek and reach out to these sex workers. We distributed to them condoms and tubes of gels for free. We also took the opportunity to talk to them about the importance of using the condoms and at the same time encouraging them to go for blood test. We offered them our support services should any of them or their colleagues be tested HIV positive.

However, due to limited number of volunteers, and the fact that our volunteers have their own day jobs, we had no choice but to stop doing the outreach program to sex workers.

Recently however, with a few additional volunteers amongst the young, we have started doing outreach to the MSM (men having sex with men) group. Those at risk of being infected are advised to go for blood tests and we even conduct rapid-testing at our center from time to time with the cooperation of the Jabatan Kesihatan staff. Those whose results turn out reactive, are immediately referred to the Ipoh ID clinic.

*Post updated July 2019