Hong Kong AIDS Foundation


The Hong Kong AIDS Foundation is a non-governmental charitable organisation established by a group of volunteers in 1991. Its current chairman is Dr. Edward Leong. When the foundation was founded, public understanding towards AIDS was limited and misconceptions about AIDS were common, leading to widespread discrimination against people infected with AIDS. Recently, the foundation has a full-time staff of 17 but relies heavily on over 200 volunteers to maintain services such as telephone hotlines, blood testing and counselling, advocacy, public education, and support programmes for people living with AIDS.

History

The AIDS Foundation was founded with a HK$15 million start-up grant from the Hong Kong Government and was registered in May 1991. At the time, public awareness of AIDS was low, which contributed to its spread. Initially the group had difficulty raising donations due to a widespread fear of the disease, which had killed 38 in Hong Kong by September 1991. The foundation was formally inaugurated by Governor David Wilson, the organisation's patron, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 30 November 1991. Wilson wrote: "AIDS has become a major scourge in many countries. We in Hong Kong have been relatively fortunate so far. But this is no cause for complacency. We must act now to impress upon the community the dangers of this disease. It is for this purpose that the AIDS Foundation has been established."

Overview of HIV/AIDS in Hong Kong

HIV/AIDS prevention

HIV/AIDS prevention programmes in Hong Kong are underpinned by the efforts of the government as well as non-government organisations. The government has setting-specific HIV prevention programmes targeted to some priority populations. These settings include schools, prisons, methadone clinics and Social Hygiene Clinics.
The Red Ribbon Centre is a community-based AIDS education, resource and research centre under the government, which incorporates a collaborative approach to partner with the community and to support community-based initiatives. The main activity areas include promotion of awareness of HIV and acceptance of people living with HIV/AIDS, targeted intervention and capacity building. The Red Ribbon Centre has cooperated with various organisations to create the Community Calendar on HIV Prevention and Care, which helps to record AIDS related activities in the community.
The setting up of the Advisory Council on AIDS and the AIDS Trust Fund in 1990s has rendered the overall HIV response much more structured and sustainable.
According to the figures released by the Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health, the number of AIDS/HIV infection in Hong Kong has been on a rising trend. The accumulated number of infection in Hong Kong has reached 8,952 cases.

Strategies for HIV/AIDS prevention, care and control

There are four basic strategies for HIV/AIDS prevention, care and control in Hong Kong.
The foundation's work emphasizes providing support services to those in need. Development and provision of training programmes for AIDS frontline workers are also provided.
The foundation has various approaches to achieve its founding mission, such as support services, outreach programmes supported by foundation-trained peer educators, education programmes and workshops, questionnaire surveys, sex education, publicity and fund-raising events, publications as well as through collaborations with other organisations.

Support services

The foundation believes that education can cultivate one's mind and thus, lead to behavioural changes. It also believes that education can combat ignorance from where misconceptions and discrimination stems. What they are aspirating, in this sense, is 'prevention is better than cure' and the following programmes are aimed to increase the awareness and knowledge of the general public.
Besides the various basic support services mentioned above, the Hong Kong AIDS Foundation has undertaken projects targeting specific groups of people in the community who are particularly vulnerable to HIV infection. These activities were carried out with the help of many volunteers as some of these activities were carried out at a place convenient for these target groups, such as at gay bars for men who have sex with men, at clinics for drug abusers and at border checkpoints and bus stations for cross-border travellers.
1. Men who have sex with men
The foundations says the idea that AIDS is a "gay disease" brings injustice and pressure to the gay community. Therefore, the foundation has started a project to promote sexual health for gay men called 'Project Men D' which aims to alleviate the labelling and facilitate the prevention of AIDS among this group. Various programmes are held under this project, including education and counselling service, training peer educators, outreach service, workshops, etc. In the year 2005/2006, 700 gay men participated in its monthly workshops, around 7000 were visited through outreach services and educational materials were distributed at 34 gay venues.
2. Drug Abusers
Aids can be spread by sharing needles during drug injections, therefore drug abusers are one of the Foundation's target group. Various programmes are organised by the Foundation to target this group, listed as follows:
3. Youth at risk
Many adolescents regard AIDS risk as unrelated to their lives, but according to a survey of 1,700 adolescents, up to 70 per cent engage in high-risk behaviours like casual sex. The foundation therefore holds sex education talks regularly for youth service organisations and it is recorded that there were 188 youths attending in the year 2005/2006. Workers also meet the teenagers regularly in the hope that teenagers can discuss sex and AIDS openly without embarrassment.
4. Cross-border travellers
The closer connection between Mainland China and Hong Kong has increased the spread of AIDS. To curb this, prevention and publicity work is a prerequisite. Therefore, enquiry counters have been set up at four border checkpoints.
5. Sex workers and clients
As sex workers are working in an unsafe environment, they have a greater risk of HIV infection. The attitudes towards the prevention of AIDS among the customers and operators are critical in preventing AIDS. To publicise the ideas of "occupational safety and health" within the profession, different workshops and programmes have been held. The "Sister Project" aims to provide aids education for sex workers and their clients which includes the activities below:
Interviewed by "In Touch", one of the sex workers expressed gratefulness about the foundation's project. After talking to the volunteers, she understands more about the importance of using condoms and having safe sex.

Publicity programmes and fund-raising activities

The foundation's publicity programmes include concerts, quilt displays, Chinese New Year Flower Fair and district activities. Its regular fund-raising activities include flag selling, fund-raising dinners, public film premiers, charity sales on streets or inside shopping malls. In its charity sale, the best selling item is "red ribbon" which is supposed to be a symbol of care and concern for AIDS. Since 1996, the Foundation has also started its annual AIDS Charity Walk for fund raising purpose.

Publications

With a view to promoting acceptance of and fair treatment for those affected by HIV/AIDS, the foundation has compiled a Chinese documentary book entitled Never Again! in April 2006 and constantly publishes a quarterly newsletter entitled In Touch (Traditional Chinese: 觸覺）every January, April, July and October.

''In Touch''

In Touch is a newsletter published quarterly by the Foundation every January, April, July and October, which is regularly sent to members of the Foundation informing them latest development and activities of the Foundation. There is a section to which readers, AIDS patients, volunteers and community members can contribute articles on their personal experiences and insights.

''Never Again!''

Never Again! – A Hong Kong AIDS Foundation 15th Anniversary Commemorative Publication on Discrimination Against HIV and AIDS is a Chinese documentary book on AIDS Discrimination published by the foundation in April 2006. It puts together 9 real cases of AIDS discrimination from 1991 to 2006, in which readers can discover how the AIDS infected as well as their family members fought back against discrimination from outsiders. This book also reveals the hardship faced by the foundation while it strives for equality for the AIDS infected throughout these years. So far 4000 copies of the book were published and distributed.
Real cases documented in Never Again! include:
Through different case studies, Never Again! provokes readers to think about questions like:
As the slogan of the foundation states, The March of AIDS Identifies No Boundary. AIDS is a worldwide disease instead of a local one and therefore the Foundation does not just work alone. The Foundation is found to be actively co-operating with other organisations in HKSAR, mainland China and other countries in the world to promote AIDS education.
Volunteers agreed that AIDS patients should have equal opportunities and respect in society. Continuous fear, misunderstandings and prejudice will only lead to more widespread of AIDS and sufferings. Volunteers believed that every effort counts in fighting AIDS.
Volunteers also mentioned that they have become more optimistic towards life. They learn to treasure every day rather than taking things for granted.
Slogan of the voluntary group:

''Your participation is a driving force for curbing the spread of AIDS and building a caring community.

Volunteers will go through orientations, training workshops about aids and counselling. Currently, the volunteers gather on a regular basis and help run the foundation's help hotline, promote the education of aids, as well as organise fund raising activities.
Their most recent task is to prepare for the World Aids Day, which is held annually on 1 December.
Volunteers can participate in –
The Hong Kong AIDS Foundation is a registered charitable institution which depends on funding and donations. According to the annual reports of year 2002–2005, the foundation received funding mainly from the AIDS Trust Fund, donations and income from the seed fund. The greatest contribution in terms of monetary value comes from the seed fund, in which the capital donation came from the Hong Kong government and the Hong Kong Jockey Club. The foundation has a continued annual trend of current expenses exceeding current income and therefore relies on the income brought by the seed fund as well as investments which contributes to surpluses at the end of March throughout the years. The top three donors were AIDS Trust Fund, Maryknoll China Service and Levi Strauss & Co.in the year 2004–2005. Also, the foundation is exempted from Hong Kong profits tax as it is a registered charitable institution. The fund is mainly spent on various projects and activities, library development, education and publicity programs and other administrative costs like salaries for full-time staff. The percentage of expenses spent on staff and allowances has remained high throughout the years – 69% of the total amount of expenditure was allocated under the category of staff and allowances in the year 2005. It is Mr Stephen W.T. Liu, JP who guides and gives advises to the Finance Committee.