AMB VISITS QUANH NINH HIV/AIDS, TIP, DISABILITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 002864

SIPDIS

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STATE FOR EAP/MLS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PHUM ETRD EINV ECON VM HIV AIDS TIP
SUBJECT: AMB VISITS QUANH NINH HIV/AIDS, TIP, DISABILITY
EDUCATION PROJECTS


1. (SBU) Summary: The Ambassador recently inspected several
successful U.S.-funded aid projects in Quang Ninh Province.
While demonstrating what can be achieved with only a modest
investment of aid money, the trip also brought to light
serious problems for people living with HIV/AIDS, and for
the Vietnamese education system. End Summary.


2. (SBU) During his October 17-19 visit to Quang Ninh
Province, the Ambassador visited a USAID-funded people
living with HIV/AIDS support groups in urban Halong and in a
rural district outside the city; a USAID-funded disability
education program in a rural school; and a PRM-funded
counter trafficking-in-persons project in downtown Halong.
In addition, the Ambassador raised various issues related to
these projects during his meeting with the provincial
People's Committee Vice Chairwoman and other officials.

HIV/AIDS - Rural Support Project
--------------


3. (SBU) On October 18, the Ambassador visited the Bright
Futures Group, a recently concluded nine-month project
supported by USAID through the Communities Responding to the
HIV/AIDS Epidemic (CORE) Initiative. The program was
founded in August 2004 as a support group for HIV-infected
people in Quang Ninh's Van Don District. The CORE
Initiative works in collaboration with CARE Vietnam, an
international NGO that promotes the well being of people who
lack access to resources and influence over decisions that
affect their lives. The six founding members of Bright
Futures Group are all wives of men who contracted HIV/AIDS
through intravenous drug use or sex with prostitutes. All
six women are themselves HIV positive, and all but one are
now widows. The founders, most of whom also have HIV
positive children or have lost children to the disease, now
act as the executive board for the one hundred and nineteen
members of the group. Members include HIV positive
individuals (who have all pledged not to use drugs or to act
as sex workers),children of infected parents and relatives
of HIV victims. Ninety-eight percent of the members have
tested positive. The group works to expand its membership
through self-support and social activities, eliminate
discrimination against AIDS victims and train HIV positive
people and their families on how to live with the disease
and how to live more hopeful lives. The group also conducts
sympathy calls on victims in advanced stages of AIDS.


4. (SBU) Bui Thi Mi Hanh, leader of the Bright Futures
Group, explained that, although Quang Ninh Province has one
of the highest percentages of HIV positive people in
Vietnam, when the group first organized less than a year
ago, no one in Van Don district had any idea what HIV/AIDS
actually is, how it can be prevented or how it can be
treated. However, the group has educated a number of people
in the district about HIV prevention and care, and members
feel their lives have changed profoundly because of the
group's support network. The group has also successfully
established connections with a network of other support
groups in northern Vietnam, and Quang Ninh Province
specifically. However, Hanh noted that only two HIV
positive members are currently receiving Anti-Retroviral
(ARV) medications from the state medical system. Of the
eighty-two children associated with the group, three are
known to be HIV-positive; however, most have not been
tested, as their families cannot afford to pay for tests.
Furthermore, few of the members can find work because they
are HIV positive and their children have faced
discrimination at school. Hanh said that with the recent
conclusion of the Bright Futures Group USD 30,000 grant, the
members are worried that they won't be able to support more
activities and hope that the project will be given more
funding. The Ambassador explained that the Embassy has only
limited funds available through the PEPFAR program and all
grants like the Bright Futures Group are only meant as seed
money to get projects going. The number one U.S. priority
for PEPFAR in Vietnam is to subsidize ARV medications for as
many HIV positive people as possible, so most additional
money will not be available for groups like theirs.
However, the Ambassador promised to try to find more funding
for the Bright Futures group.

HIV/AIDS - Urban Support Project
--------------


5. (SBU) On October 19, the Ambassador visited the Sympathy
Club, another USAID CORE Initiative program working with
CARE Vietnam. The group in Halong City is a social
organization that recruits and organizes activities for
people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, including HIV
infected people, their parents, spouses and friends. Members
take part in discussions, share support strategies and help
each other to meet their basic emotional, social and other
material needs. The Club's 1,038 members (which includes
some members of the Bright Futures Group),also work to
reduce social stigma and discrimination against people
living with AIDS. Vu Thi Yen, the club's founder and
leader, explained that she established the Sympathy Club in
1999 with 25 other members, in order to "increase awareness
of HIV/AIDS and to reduce social stigma." In addition to
USAID and CARE Vietnam support, the club has also received
funding from the local government. However, most HIV-
positive members of the club do not receive ARV medications;
approximately five percent of those needing drugs receive
them. The club's main focus at present is the establishment
of a center for children orphaned by AIDS. The Club is
seeking local funding and individual donations to renovate a
3,000 square meter facility for this purpose. Yen concluded
by asking for continued U.S. funding for the club. As with
the Bright Futures Group, the Ambassador noted that our
primary focus is subsidizing ARV medication, but promised he
would try to find more funding for the Sympathy Club.

Counter Trafficking-in-Persons
--------------


6. (SBU) On October 18, the Ambassador visited a counter
trafficking-in-persons project run by International
Organization for Migration (IOM) in downtown Halong. The
project received USD 155,000 from PRM, and the Embassy made
a supplemental donation of $4,000 from PAS funding to
support English-language training within the project. The
six-month residential vocational training program works to
protect populations most vulnerable to trafficking in this
"hotspot" province, focusing on at-risk women, including
victims of domestic violence, the very poor, single mothers
and returned "survivors of trafficking." IOM hopes to
protect victims and potential victims by providing positive
alternatives to being trafficked. Two groups of
participants receive health and psychological care and
vocational training, followed by an internship placement in
the Halong tourism industry. The Ambassador inspected the
training facility, interviewed participants and observed a
cooking class. IOM Chief of Mission Andrew Bruce explained
that the project has been well received by the Halong
Women's Union, which has donated facilities and assistants
for the project. The Women's Union is planning to develop
its own projects following IOM's model. Other NGOs have
also studied the project to guide their own efforts in Quang
Ninh. Many participants stated that they feel fortunate to
learn new lifeskills, particularly professional cooking and
facility with English. The women (mainly between the ages
of 14 and 22) also noted with pleasure the support network
and friendships they were developing through the program.
Bruce said that IOM is currently trying to lower its costs
from $3,000 a participant in order to enroll more women.

Disability Education
--------------


7. (SBU) On October 19, the Ambassador visited Minh Than
Primary School in the rural district of Yen Hung outside
Halong city. Since 1998, Catholic Relief Service (CRS) has
run a USAID-funded program to expand community support for
children with disabilities in this district. Minh Than
school is considered a model for the rest of the project.
CRS trains teachers in skills and methods for teaching
disabled children in an inclusive education setting.
Children with disabilities study in the same classroom as
non-disabled children. CRS also works with the community to
ensure they provide social support to children with
disabilities. (NOTE: There is a widespread Vietnamese
belief that children with disabilities are born to families
who did something wrong in their previous life, and are
therefore shunned by the community. End Note.) CRS has
trained 650 teachers in Yen Hung District, and 371 children
with disabilities have enrolled in school. At Minh Than
School, the Ambassador met with teachers and students in
first-, third-, and fifth-grade classes.


8. (SBU) Minh Than School Principal Le Sy Hoa explained that
he oversees a student body of eight hundred and seventy-five
students, including six disabled students. The present
group of disabled children is actually the smallest since
the program began, although at one time there were thirty-
four enrolled in the school. The number of disabled
children had fallen because a number of students "had been
cured of their disability," while others had graduated and
moved on. Better family planning had reduced the number of
congenitally disabled children in the local population. The
principal explained that since 2002 the student body was
split between full-time students who participated in seven
classes a day, and half-time students who only received five
lessons. The five hundred and forty-two full time students
must pay enrollment fees of 25,000 VND (approximately USD
1.5) per month. While congratulating Yen Hung School
District and CRS for their success in training teachers in
educating students with disabilities, the Ambassador
expressed strong concern that not all students in Yen Hung
received a full education.

Local Government Recognition
--------------


9. (SBU) At the beginning of his visit, the Ambassador met
with Vice Chairwoman Nhu Thi Lien of the Quang Ninh People's
Committee. In addition to other issues reported septels,
the Ambassador observed that there are a large number of USG-
funded development projects in the province. Noting that
many of these projects deal with reducing social stigmas,
the Ambassador exhorted the Vice Chairwoman and other senior
members of the provincial government to actively and
publicly visit and interact with project participants to
help raise public awareness and reduce discrimination
against people with HIV/AIDS, victims of trafficking and
people with disabilities. Lien agreed that these are
important issues to deal with and expressed the hope that
more international NGOs would come to Quang Ninh to help the
local government reduce these problems.


10. (SBU) Comment: These four excellent USG projects
clearly demonstrate what can be achieved with only a modest
investment of aid money. The USAID CORE projects have meant
an extraordinary life change for many people coping with
HIV/AIDS. IOM's project has already provided forty young
women with a new chance at life. CRS has given
opportunities to hundreds of children who would have been
written off by society. On the other hand, the Ambassador's
visit also brought to light some serious concerns. HIV/AIDS
patients are largely destitute in Quang Ninh, and the great
majority does not receive vital medication. Furthermore,
there may be more behind the reduction in the number of
disabled students studying in Yen Hung than the reasons
given by the Principal. It is also deeply worrying that
almost a third of the student body is not receiving a full
education. The Embassy will continue to address these
problems by raising our concerns with local authorities and
encouraging them to make efforts to raise public awareness
of HIV/AIDs, trafficking-in-persons and the necessity of a
full education for all Vietnamese children. End Comment.

BOARDMAN