Breaking up into smaller groups, each group role plays different situations where one can get HIV/AIDS

Breaking up into smaller groups, each group role plays different situations where one can get HIV/AIDS

As it is the beginning of the month, we started out the week making plans for what needed to get done for the month. In addition to going out into the field to do workshops and checkups, there was a mid-year report due to Concern International by the end of the month and a revised proposal to the Lotus Charitable Fund who had recently awarded a project grant to Neary Khmer. Since the revised proposal for Lotus and several case studies for Concern were most urgent, I spent the beginning of the week revising and writing case studies. [The proposal for Lotus outlines a project that called for an education program (in the villages) that will teach villagers about clean water practices and how to prepare a nutritiously balanced meal. As for Concern, the case studies are specific examples of villagers who Neary Khmer has worked with and have been successful.]

Later on the week, I joined the a group of NK’s workers to Spean Vang Village (translates to Long Bridge) in Kampong Kleang Commune, (Siem Reap province). There, we conducted a HIV/AIDS workshop for a selected 20. The hope was that after being train, these selected members of the community would be able to help out, for example, by forming support groups, for those with HIV/AIDS. This way, the community will have more knowledge about HIV/AIDS, and will then hopefully, not be prejudice towards those with HIV/AIDS like many others who have been bad connotations of those with HIV/AIDS. The workshop was very participatory-based, and included small group discussions, villager presentations, and model role-playing. The villagers also discussed how people “fall into situations” where they can get HIV/AIDS.