HIV and AIDS training and workshop for civil society organisations in Central Java and Yogyakarta involved 27 participants from YPL, SPEKHAM, LPH Yaphi, Ekasita, LKTS, and YSI staff. The activity took place at YSI Office in Yogyakarta, and aimed for enhancing perception and understanding of HIV/AIDS, of associated risks , vulnerability and impacts, and of committment to HIV/AIDS mainstreaming in respective organisations. YSI as organisers invited Ms Erlinda Panisales, Andreas Subiyono, and Slamet Ryadi (LP3Y) as resource people for the training.
On first day, participants discussed myths about HIV and AIDS, and reviewed the myths in terms of current medical and other knowledge about HIV/AIDS. The discussion was useful as it helped participants dealt with prevailing misperception in the community regarding HV/AIDS due to limited access to proper knowledge and data. Participants then shared experience on management of HIV/AIDS cases since 1995, including inputs obtained by Andreas Subiyono from attendance in Toronto Conference. A review of civil society response to the issue was instrumental in raising awareness about the dangers of engaging in blind euphoria towards introduced methods, particularly in light of the complexity of the issue, and associated issues (environment, economics, child education and so on). A most important outcome was for participating organisation to not treat the issue as mere program, but rather as awareness and concern, and not to focus on narrow policy constellation or trends.
Other session explored facts about HIV/AIDS in Indonesia (public policy, statistics, and epidemiological analysis), conducted by Slamet Riyadi (LP3Y). The session revealed distribution of HIV/AIDS, and touched on issues faced by each participating organisation such as less than optimum roles played by public agencies mandated to deal with HIV/AIDS. What strategies to employ in such crcumstances? If HIV/AIDS phenomena is similar to that of the iceberg, how prepared are civil society organisations, including people with HIV/AIDS, and government agencies to deal with the issue? It is informative that the government strategic plan contained scenarios for such circumstances, not merely about facts and myths about HIV/AIDS.
Participants also discussed stigma in the community, and how negative stigma affected people with HIV/AIDS, and the gender aspets of HIV/AIDS. The two issues are separate development issues but nonetheless were keys for programming and mainstreaming.
The second day focused on gender and HIV, HIV/AIDS and gender roles, HIV/AIDS as development issue, and mainstreaming. Each individual exercise was discussed within each organisation using 12-box model for analysis: Identification, strength and weakness, identiying actions and priorities, planning and matrix development.