PSI/Sisters

In Pattaya, Pact partners with The Sisters project managed by PSI Thailand, in promoting HIV prevention and overall sexual health for transgendered people. The project uses a behavior change communication strategy to build knowledge on HIV prevention through hot zone outreach, home outreach, events such as World AIDS Day and Valentine’s Day; promotion of condom and lubricant, and a drop-in center that provides individual counseling, HIV and STI prevention information, VCT, skills building, and referrals to sexual health services. In addition, the drop-in center acts as a safe social and recreational space for transgenders. PSI/Sisters also collaborates with the government and other stakeholders to prevent HIV and promote positive images of transgenders in order to reduce stigma and discrimination.

TUC Partners

Pact works with the Thailand - U.S. Government Collaboration (TUC) and covers three provinces. So far, capacity development assessment has been carried out with respective MSM community groups in Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, and Phuket. Following the results of the assessment, Pact has begun conducting interventions that aim to strengthen group cohesion as well as basic project management systems, skills and knowledge such as grant compliance and financial management, so that the groups can ultimately work towards forming their own organizations. In the meantime, Pact interventions are aiding their implementation of the round 8 of the Global Fund project.

Rainbow Sky Association of Thailand (RSAT)

Pact partners with RSAT to help promote HIV prevention and overall health and wellbeing among MSM through behavior change communication, counseling services, public awareness raising campaigns and condom/information distribution in Thailand. RSAT’s intervention locations include public parks, saunas and entertainment venues. It also maintains a learning center, a telephone hotline, a bimonthly magazine, and a website, all of which provide information on preventing HIV/AIDS and other STIs, as well as a wide variety of other topics of interest to the MSM community. RSAT is the GFATM Round 8 Sub-Recipient (SR) in Thailand for the MSM community, and Pact has continued to support its role through technical assistance, specifically in strengthening its coordination and project management role for Global Fund for MSM. A key planned intervention is to place an on-site mentor and coach who will work towards addressing some of the project implementation bottlenecks in the short term, thereby addressing the strategic objective of helping RSAT in its role as a GFATM Sub-recipient.

RSAT maintains its website which includes program information along with a discussion board. The address is: http://www.rsat.info/home.html

SWING operates drop-in centers which provide HIV and STI prevention information, counseling and referrals for STI and VCT services, English and Japanese language classes, computer classes, and other non-formal education. The drop-in centers also serve as a safe space for sex workers to gather and discuss issues that affect them. The organization collaborates closely with public and private STI and VCT clinics, local NGOs, and government authorities, in an effort to ensure that its clients have access to comprehensive support.

In the partnership period, SWING has started working as a Sub-sub Recipient (SSR) for the GFATM project. SWING is also one of the Thailand-based partners to take part in Pact’s Global Capacity Building Summit, held in Washington, DC in November 2009. Pact has been providing support to SWING in strategic planning, updating its action plans linked to the strategic plan, and coaching staff in the strategic thinking and implementation skills needed to better integrate SWING strategic initiatives with routine operations. Pact also works with SWING closely in monitoring and evaluation, including the development of SWING’s program logic model and data use for program improvement.

Watch a video about SWING's outreach work with at-risk populations here: www.youtube.com/watch

SWING Care and Support

Recently, Pact also worked with SWING in establishing and strengthening its care and support programs for MSW in Bangkok and Pattaya. SWING received TA from Pact on developing the care and support logic model and assessing the needs of MSW living with HIV. This TA was geared to help the process of establishing SWING’s care and support program on a stronger technical foundation.

SWING has its own website (www.swingthailand.org). The website has a chat interface and is being regularly updated with information and education data.