Saw Toby (2nd from left) with other participants
Three members of the Marist Mission Ranong Health Team participated in the International Congress on Aids in Asia and the Pacific held in Bangkok recently. It was an incredible experience with over 4,000 participants working in the field of HIV AIDS.
Saw Toby of Marist Mission Ranong was incredibly grateful for all those who helped and provided him with a scholarship to attend. From Burma, and having worked for the past year with the Health Team, it was Saw Toby’s first experience of the large city of Bangkok.
“As a participant in this congress I gained a lot of knowledge such as how to deal correctly with a user of drugs, how to understand those involved in the sex industry etc. To be honest, there were so many new ideas and things I had never heard of before.”
Attending the congress with so many other organisations from so many countries provided a great opportunity to learn more. Saw Toby commented that the key population that are at the most risk for HIV AIDS infections are Men having sex with Men, Sex Workers, and those who have a lack of knowledge and education about HIV AIDS.
The emphasis of the congress was to aim toward the goal of Triple Zero: Zero new HIV AIDS infection, Zero Deaths and Zero Discrimination.
Saw Toby now feels a responsibility to share what he has learnt with his family, community and other people who live in remote areas.