“Our voice, our community” is the continuation project working with people living with HIV (PLHIV) through forming an inclusive self-help group including women, youth, elderly, people with disabilities, sex and entertainment workers, and LGBTQI. In this phase, this project aims to strengthen the influencing capacity, amplify their work and have ownership of their inclusive self-help groups.  It’s intended to support the 4 self-help groups able to challenge issues on their own, improve their confidence to speak up, be open, and be able to advocate for their need and issues to be addressed.    

Key expectation 1: Inclusive SHG from 4 target areas have increased knowledge and capacity on advocacy skills and can lead define their long-term goal for the sustainability of their group.  

Key expectation 2: The inclusive SHGs can share knowledge with their members, strengthening their group through mobilization meetings and reflection.  

Key expectation 3: Conduct influencing advocacy, lobbying, and mobilizing resources to promote their voices and visibility without discrimination through community campaigns and social media.  

Key expectation 4: Peer to peers intervention support and counseling on domestic violence through an innovative referral system.  

Following the good achievement and impact of the “It’s My Rights” project that was supported by Voice in the first phase, it inspired AUA to continue their intervention support to empower women and people living with HIV/AIDS to have ownership of their issues and strengthening their influencing capacity to voice out their concerns to be addressed through the “Our Voice, Our Community!” project. The overall objective of this project is to empower rightsholder groups of people living with HIV/AIDs, particularly women, youth, elderly, people with disabilities, sex and entertainment workers, and members of the LGBTQI community to access quality health care and treatment, employment, and education. The rightsholder groups are respected and recognized as full members of society and can respond to the challenges they experience so they can live happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives as part of their communities.  

The 24-month project duration was implemented in 4 target districts in Rattanakiri and Banteay Meanchey provinces. The total number of rightsholders in this project is 373 (F: 253), 223 are People Living with HIV, 13 are people with disabilities, 33 are Indigenous people, 33 are LGBTI, and 55 are youth. All rightsholders have participated in training (Advocacy and mobilizing support, negotiation, and social protection schemes), sharing knowledge with other new communities, the Public Dialog forum at the community, the SHG (Self-help Group) quarterly network meeting, and the annual project reflection meeting. The project contributed to the change of the rightsholder groups to gain knowledge, and the ability to respond to challenges on their challenges, dare to speak up and disclose their identity as PLHIV, and raise their voices to be responded to and advocate for their needs. As a result of project intervention, 50 rightsholder groups who faced livelihood difficulties had received ID-poor cards (identification of poor households), food, shelter, and access to quality health services, education, and employment without discrimination. In addition, the project advocated for the inclusion of HIV/AIDS programs in Commune/ Sangkat development policies.  

Despite the significant achievement mentioned above, there were some challenges faced by AUA  including the COVID-19 outbreak that needed to go slow, and the team was required to get official approval from the provincial governor before implementing activities. There were some challenges on communication with the rightsholder groups based in the remote areas due to poor signal. Also, some local authorities still not able to fully engage with the project due to their limited knowledge and information regarding to the new policy that prioritized PLHIV to access ID-poor cards.  

Throughout the project implementation, AUA has drawn some lessons learned that to ensure a good collaboration and engagement from local authorities, we need to provide detailed information with clear objectives and agenda of our activities to get prior approval from local authorities, especially the provincial governors. The group messenger that was created for the rightsholder group was reported as the most effective to keep everyone informed, connect, and support each other more quickly. Another lesson learned is after being motivated to accept the truth, the rigthsholder groups were empowered to come out and disclose their HIV status, they have received a lot of support from communities without discrimination, particularly the local authorities through the national social protection scheme. They can fully participate in the community and live without hiding their identity or FEAR.  

In conclusion, the “Out Voice, our Community!” project has impacted the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS who faced intersectionality issues. The project has contributed to the change of the rightsholder group to gain knowledge on their rights in access to social service, health care, education, and employment. They have improved their confidence and can raise their voices to advocate for their needs to be responded to in line with the national social protection policy scheme. Although the project ends, the self-help group members continue to be active in supporting each other with collective advocacy with duty bearers to address their common needs. The most significant change is when the rightsholders group gradually takes ownership of their issues and can advocate with relevant stakeholders to address their issues without relying on the support of any organization. 

Success stories:  

Since starting the project, we found the Behaviour change of local authority and stakeholders and the Behaviour change of the target group. From the beginning to the end of the project, seven video clips of beneficiaries were produced by an AUA officer. SHG wrote 22 cases of their intervention 18 Cases received ID-Poor and family book, 3 Cases of students received scholarships, and 1 case disclosed to partner before getting married. 

Below is a case study of Ms. Eam Chanthorn:  

Eam Chanthorn, 32, her husband Lam Vavin, 36, is a laborer with two children, and her eldest son, who is HIV positive, is currently in eighth grade. When they were living with HIV, they decided to migrate from their hometown to live in Rattanakiri province because they were so discriminated against by their families and communities. Ms. Chanthorn, from a very poor family, earns a living in the morning and the evening and lives in a rented house in O’Romas village, La Banseak commune, Banlung town, Rattanakiri province. During their difficult time, they had applied for ID-poor from the local authorities many times, but never received one, because they did not dare to tell the authorities about their HIV status.  On March 18, 2022, the self-help group members invited them to participate in the public dialog forum in the community at Kachagn Waterfall Resort, Banlung town, Rattanakiri province. The quest speaker (Commune chief) thanked Ms. Chanthan for being open about her HIV status to him, and the quest speaker clearly understood that in principle the government has given priority to people living with HIV, so he promised that will allow the staff of the local authorities to go to the interview to get a poor ID card as soon as possible, later Ms. Chanthan and five other families also got it. Ms. Chanthan is very happy since she received her poor ID card; she receives an allowance of 320,000 Riel per month. She said that this poor ID card is very important for her family to provide for her daily expenses, greatly reducing her daily expenses.