Ko Ye Win, a caregiver from Pyi Gyi Khin’s office in Pathein would like to tell how his work has completely transformed him from an uninterested person to a motivated caregiver providing services to meet a variety of needs of people living with HIV.

“I knew very little about HIV, its prevention, care and treatment before I started to work as a peer educator for Pyi Gyi Khin’s HIV/AIDS programme ten years ago. I found that the longer I worked, the more I still needed to learn.

“Though I am a university graduate, my knowledge about HIV at that time was very limited and I was unaware of people affected by the disease in my own neighbourhood—those who had died from AIDS and their families, or those shunned and disowned by their own families, marginalized and humiliated by society.

“There was a time when I did not have any sense of obligation to help them, as if I were an “indifferent bystander who would not move as long as they are not concerned”. There were also times when I felt the need to help, but I did not know how I could.

“From my years of working as a peer educator in Pyi Gyi Khin’s HIV/AIDS programme, I came to realize just how important it is to be able to protect oneself from HIV. I want to convey this valuable message and convince everyone of the importance of preventing HIV infection.

“I am fortunate to be able to pursue my aim in life of raising awareness of the disease and spreading preventive health messages to all those in my neighbourhood, irrespective of their race, age or socio-economic status. I even quit my former job to work as a peer educator for a recovery programme after cyclone Nargis, covering 33 villages in Bogalay Township in the Delta. I worked there for a year, though I had to contend with difficult terrain, harsh weather, scarcity of food and the difficulty to communicate with villagers whose interest in and knowledge of the disease was minimal. I even took the opportunity to mentor my peers in my free time, helping them improve their skills in HIV awareness raising and prevention.

“In 2010, I returned to Pyi Gyi Khin’s office in Pathein and worked as a caregiver for the child programme. My work regularly brought me to the family homes of affected children. My regular visits and a friendly rapport won their trust, helping me to find out their needs and gradually to project their future—to draw a sketch of their future on the canvas of life. They need our compassion, acceptance and encouragement, in order to be well informed and empowered to carry on living confidently with HIV and to create their own future.

“Currently I am working for Pyi Gyi Khin’s care and support programme for people living with HIV. Helping people living with HIV and their families daily allows me to witness their lives closely: those in despair calling out for help, those struggling to live, worried family members looking for support and those lamenting the loss of their loved ones to AIDS.

“It is immensely joyful, brings us satisfaction and we can never ask for a better reward than to see those on ART gradually gaining weight and on the road to recovery with improved health and quality of life. However, we can never forget those who have died from AIDS – like fruits fallen from a budding tree – and I pray for their peaceful rest.

“Despite years of efforts, it is disheartening to see those affected by HIV still being neglected by their families and rejected by society mostly due to misinformation and misunderstanding on how HIV is transmitted. However, I will not give up trying to combat HIV-related stigma and discrimination, which can be as destructive as the infection itself.

“In our journey of life there is birth and death—a beginning and an end. A happy ending in life requires a healthy beginning. For those affected children, though their right to be born HIV-free has not been realized, they can still fulfill their right to optimal health care to live full and productive lives with dignity.

“I would like these young persons to know that there are still people like us – volunteers and social workers for Pyi Gyi Khin’s HIV/AIDS programme, rendering services in our respective roles to people living with HIV and affected communities – working so that they feel safe, assured of much needed treatment, care and support.”

Pyi Gyi Khin has been implementing its HIV/AIDS programme since 2011 with support from GFATM.