The Thai ACP Network is now expanding in all regions of Thailand
3-5 August, Thailand
“The learning event that took place in Chiang Mai exceeded our expectations. Not only did 63 people participate but they came from the 4 regions in Thailand. In each region there is now a team committed to coordinate and spread the AIDS Competence Process (ACP),” said Khun Lawan Vejapikul, member of Thai ACP network and Constellation coach.
Thai ACP network, the facilitation team promoting the spread of AIDS Competence in Thailand, was facing a challenge. While they had several facilitators in the North and the South of Thailand, they only had a few in the Central region and none in the North-East. “The focus of this learning event was to bring in new members into the network to fill the gaps for the areas where we were not yet successful in finding people who really commit to promote the AIDS Competence Process,” explained Lawan.
From the 63 participants, 9 came from Isaan province (North-East) and 12 people from Bangkok. Not only did they appreciate the benefits of the AIDS Competence Process but they also committed to spread the approach in the communities they work with. In each region, one organization now committed to be a focal point of the network and to promote the AIDS Competence Process. Duongpratit Foundation in Bangkok already planned to organize its first ACP training for its staff members in September. Khun Ohm, one of the facilitators from Bangkok will help to facilitate the training.
Members of Thai ACP network helped each other to get the new members in. At first, the participants from Isaan wouldn’t join because of a lack of budget. Khun Jib, who is the network coordinator, offered her house for the 9 participants. AIDSNet, the host organization of the network, offered to borrow a car to the participants from Isaan for local transportation. That is how committed the Thai team is!
Why is it important for Thai ACP Network to have host organizations in each region? Firstly, the host organizations can accelerate the spread of AIDS Competence in each region. Local organizations have connections to many players. Secondly, the host organization can connect to the network those members who do not have access to the internet. Finally, Thai ACP Network wants to remain a network (without official registration) and therefore it needs to be owned by its members and remain decentralized.
Member organizations of the network take turns to host the ACP events, which stimulates ownership. For instance, the Interfaith Network on AIDS in Thailand (INAT) hosted the event in August. Khun Suriyon Sungkham, INAT representative, committed to make the event a success. During his field trips in Isaan, he took the time to meet new organizations and promote the event. He now invited the new participants to visit Faith Based Centers that INAT has been working with to practice SALT.
In November, the network is preparing a gigantic Knowledge Fair with more than 300 participants. The Phayao Development Network and the INAT will combine the organization of the Knowledge Fair with the Global Fund yearly review meeting. On the first day, each network will reflect on its lessons learned and on the 2nd and 3rd day, participants will share about local responses with members from their own and other networks. Staff as well as community members will participate.
If you want to participate in the Knowledge Fair from 11-13 November, please contact Lawan (lawan[@]communitylifecompetence.org).