OBJECTIVE
To provide youths in factories with the knowledge of HIV/AIDS and its prevention, and to promote non-discriminatory attitudes and treatment towards those infected with HIV/AIDS.

BACKGROUND
Thailand’s AIDS campaign began in 1985 with the establishment of the country’s National AIDS Programme mainly targeting drug users and sex workers. The government later recognised that HIV/AIDS can only be prevented and controlled through mobilising multiple sectors of society.

The National AIDS Prevention Control Committee was established comprising representatives from various agencies including government, NGOs, and the private sector for coordinated AIDS prevention and control throughout the nation.

The task of managing the project on AIDS Prevention through Health Education and Non-Formal Counselling was given to the Thai Red Cross Society (TRCS) Programme on AIDS. Collaborating with various implementing agencies, the TRCS initiated the project in 1991.

SCOPE
The project focuses on the development of appropriate educational materials for the target group; the training of trainers, and training of youth factory workers.

MAIN ACTIVITIES
Three major activities which form the project are:

• Development of appropriate educational materials for the target group which concentrated on supplementary educational materials such as comic books, posters, and leaflets. These IEC materials are then distributed nationwide.
• Training of trainers; and recruitment of trainers is done by the Ministry of Education. The one-day training teaches trainers how to liaise with the provincial labour departments and factories in follow-up activities such as distribution of materials, monitoring and evaluation; and
• Training of youth factory workers to become HIV/AIDS non-formal counsellors in efforts to allow youth workers to learn about HIV/AIDS and to seek counselling in a comfortable environment.

MANAGEMENT FEATURES

Strategy

• nvolvement of entertainers who can greatly influence the behaviour of youths, which led to the development of a calendar portraying several entertainers presenting HIV/AIDS messages.
• Nationwide distribution of IEC materials.
• Training of non-formal counsellors enables an increased capacity (to cover a larger area).
• To ensure the sustainability of the project, the capacity of local agencies to implement and coordinate project activities was strengthened through the training of trainers and also through networking among agencies.

Capacity-Building

• Training non-formal counsellors.
• Recruiting and training of trainers.
• Empowering peer counsellors with the necessary materials to facilitate the sharing of information and counselling.

Mobilising Resources

• Utilising IEC materials (such as flipcharts, comic books, posters, calendars, pamphlets/ booklets and video tapes or audio tapes.

Managerial Leadership

• Human resources development.
• Ensure financial sustainability of programme.

EVALUATION FINDINGS

• Youths working in factories have been marginalised in efforts to educate the public on HIV/AIDS.
• Materials developed under the project have successfully met the needs of target groups and are now widely distributed in factories in Thailand.
• Several government agencies and NGOs in Indochina have developed context-specific materials based on the materials developed by the TRCS.
• From a pilot project in one province, this project has expanded to reach youths working in factories in 20 provinces.
• The project has built capacity at the provincial level through its network of resource persons and collaborating agencies.