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Asia Catalyst and friends from China and Thailand are going to Vienna in July for the International AIDS Conference in July. Here's where we will be, hope to see you.

GLOBAL VILLAGE

Stop by our "Crossing borders" booth for a packet on how to plan your own human rights research mission, mini-trainings on human rights research, and cool gear from China & Thailand!

By Gisa Hartmann

Last month, I went on my second trip to China for Asia Catalyst. As we've previously discussed in this blog, Asia Catalyst is spending several years "incubating" or building the internal management skills of Phoenix, a nonprofit organization of sex workers living with HIV/AIDS. Phoenix is based in Gejiu, Yunnan, on China's borders with Vietnam. My main objective during my two weeks there was to help Phoenix to develop their staff management system, as well as improve their understanding of budgeting and financial reporting. We spent an intense two weeks tracking down and discussing every single receipt for the past two quarters.

One morning, as I was preparing for another day of office work, I received a call on my cell asking me to come to the office as soon as possible. The husband of a Phoenix member had died the previous day.

Asia Catalyst travels again to Yunnan, China to take part in a training by Korekata AIDS Law Center for 30 sex workers from the Phoenix group. The video is also available at http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/orTkR_PAOE0/ Thanks to Witness for the handy cameras.

Part 2 of Asia Catalyst's trip to China brings Meg and Gisa to Yunnan Province, where they are working with their new partner Phoenix （苦草工作室), a group of over 90 women living with HIV/AIDS. The group, which includes current and former sex workers and drug users, provides direct services to women in need. These range from hospice care to prison visits and funerals for those cut off from their families.

by Gisa Hartmann

An integral part of Asia Catalyst's approach to assisting organizations to become stronger and more effective is teaching groups how to create a simple strategic plan. Having just returned from an intensive working trip to China, and having also participated in AC's strategic planning meetings with Phoenix in China, with IKON in Bali, and with Thai AIDS Treatment Action Group (TTAG) in New York, I have noticed some issues that appear to be integral to the process, even for diverse groups in different parts of Asia.