The objective of the programme is to increase awareness of HIV / AIDS and Safer Sex, provide free testing and information and to provide free condoms and lubricant to stop the spread of HIV / AIDS within the gay community in Patong.
With the help of Patong Hospital and the Sabaidee Clinic, PLU Club held a series of focus groups designed to gather information from various groups of people within the LGBT community of Phuket. This information has been invaluable in helping set the strategy and objectives for the HARP Project,
At present, Sabaidee clinic only has funding to carry out one free HIV test session a year in Soi Paradise. The PLU Club has committed money, from its HARP budget, to the clinic to carry out a further three sessions, which means all workers in Paradise can now have a free HIV test every 3 months for the next year, starting in October.
Partnering with the Director of Patong Hospital, PLU also secured a memorandum of understanding from Phuket’s former Governor, Maitri Inthusut, enabling the club to receive a large number of condoms from outside of Thailand.
The club has already received 50,000 Carex condoms and lube from Karex Burhad, a Thai company. These are being packaged into individual packs, which also carry safe sex messages in Thai, as well as contact details for the Sabaidee Clinic.
The PLU also contracted Bon Tong Productions in Chiang Mai – sponsor of the PLU Club’s Phuket Pride web site for the past three years – to create a series of six informative posters with advice on safe sex, testing and what to do if you test positive.
To accompany the posters the PLU Club have had produced condom boxes with changeable headers, so that the messaging with the free condoms mirrors the changing messaging of the monthly posters.
These boxes will contain the free condoms and lubrication packs and will be placed in gay-friendly locations throughout Patong, ensuring that cost is not a barrier to safer sex.
The Chairman of the PLU Community Project Team, Kenneth Miller, said, “I am delighted that … we have finally been able to deliver to the gay venues of Patong meaningful posters and free condoms and lube.
“These venues have been so supportive in the prominence they have given to the posters and condom boxes, with a real commitment to all working together in increasing HIV awareness and reducing HIV infection in our community”
Ian Phillips the PLU Chairman, said, “I would like to thank everyone who has supported our last three Phuket Pride weeks, those who worked tirelessly to organise the week’s events, those who attended and donated and to all of our highly valued sponsors, including Karex, without whom none of what we are now delivering to our community would be possible.
“I look forward to us all raising more money for these important projects during Phuket Pride week 2015 this coming April”
For information on how to get involved in the PLU and Phuket Pride as a volunteer or sponsor, email: info@phuket-pride.com or visit www.phuket-pride.org