Who do we work with?
Everyone is equally deserving of human rights. We are committed to strengthening civil society, reducing discrimination, and ending HIV/AIDS; so we work with key populations such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, and LGBT communities, to acquire strong organizational and advocacy skills and take the lead on achieving these shared goals. The most marginalized in society are often the most vulnerable to rights abuses, and often have less access to justice based on the structural barriers and systematic discrimination they face.
What is a CBO?
A community-based organization (CBO) is a civil society group that operates within a specific community or groups of communities with members of the community in decision-making positions.
How do we engage our partners?
We work with both new and established groups and individuals from marginalized communities across Asia, and have ten years of experience supporting civil society in China specifically. Our process is community-driven: our partners determine the organizational management issues they want to strengthen and the human rights issues they want to work on. We use our tools and expertise to provide essential information and skills to build more viable organizations from which to conduct effective advocacy. We help deepen their skills, sharpen their presentations, refine their abilities in communicating and negotiating with local governments, and bolster their organizational infrastructure to ensure their impact and sustainability.
Since 2006, Asia Catalyst has directly assisted over 250 groups from 11 countries to become more effective advocates for change. From our offices in Bangkok, Beijing, and New York, we bolster our partners’ work on the most critical healthcare access and policy issues in their communities. Graduates of Asia Catalyst’s intensive programs achieve substantial gains in their countries and become part of a growing network of human rights advocates in Asia.
Where do we work?
Asia Catalyst has partnered with community leaders from 11 Asian countries since 2006, with specialized, tailor-designed programming for our CBO partners in each country.