Despite pledges by world leaders and the UN to support civil society, AIDS nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) face heavy restrictions in Cambodia, China, Myanmar and Vietnam, Asia Catalyst said in a report released for World AIDS Day. “Heads of state have learned to pay lip service to the role of NGOs in order to gain international support, but the reality on the ground can be quite different,” said Sara Davis, executive director of Asia Catalyst. “Restricting civil society has slowed Asia’s response to the AIDS crisis.”
[REPORT] Restrictions on AIDS NGOs in Asia (2009)
Despite pledges by world leaders and the UN to support
civil society, AIDS nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) face heavy
restrictions in Cambodia, China, Myanmar and Vietnam, Asia Catalyst
said in a report released for World AIDS Day. English press release (pdf) Download the report in English (pdf)
[REPORT] Asia Catalyst in Yunnan
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.
[REPORT] How Chinese Activists Access Information Resources
By Chang Kun
Chinese activists have been using different types of social medias to
post their works and raise international awareness to assist special cases. Following
are examples of some public ways in which Chinese activists have automatic access
to information resources. In the past few years, because of the Internet and increasing
work in this sphere by some HIV/AIDS organizations, such as Beijing AIZHIXING
Institute, a lot of grass-root organizations have grown in skills on how to use
Internet tools for their work and community, especially for posting human
rights cases to increase attention.
On the Road to Beijing
For the next two weeks, Meg and Gisa will be “vlogging” (video blogging) our trip to Beijing and Yunnan to do on-the-ground work for Asia Catalyst: lobbying officials, coaching NGO partners, and holding a party to celebrate the accomplishments of our first “incubation” project, the Korekata AIDS Law Center.
Meanwhile, we have to kill a little time in the airport…
