Due to a better spread of volunteers in Cambodia, emergency aid costs to poor LGBTIs with HIV are rising. First, there are more requests. In addition, the spread over the regions is better and more people are reached in remote areas. Corruption also plays a part.
Collaboration ensures better distribution of aid
It seems that, because of the larger network of our new collaborative partner, more help is provided, especially in places where we did not reach in the past. On the other hand, from the largest city in the country – Phnom Penh – we hardly receive any help requests any more.
One of the consequences is that due to the greater distance to medical centers, the problem is also harder for the people. It may take longer for Bandanh Chaktomok (National MSM & TG Network Cambodia, shortly: BC) to have people in sight. Because the condition of the aid dependent is often worse, the cost per aid request will increase. In more cases, people have to be admitted to a hospital. And hospitalization costs more money than a doctor consultant.
The transportation costs of volunteers also increase due to the larger distances and hospitalizations. Hospitals generally do not provide meals in Cambodia,so the BC volunteers provide food assistance too. All this with financial support from Untenu.
Interactive map of Cambodia: click on the red circles for information per region.
Corruption
Corruption is a difficult to eradicate phenomenon in Cambodia and also Untenu (the volunteers of partner organization BC) has to do with it. Hospitals use clear rates, but it is not rare for a doctor to refuse to start treatment or even a consultation if no bribe is paid. Our partners say as requested:
For us the people are the most important. We want to help them. If we do not pay such a doctor, they will die. So what can we do?
For many people this is an unthinkable situation, unfortunately in Cambodia it is the reality. It is a luxury problem to make a pivotal issue here. When human lives are at stake and we have no choice, then go for it. Untenu was founded to help vulnerable people.
Gay, sex worker, hiv
With our friends from BC, we helped S. this week, a gay man who earned money for a long time in Pattaya (Thailand) as a sex worker. He once used antiretrovirals, but stopped taking his ARV a long time ago for unknown reasons. In Battambang he was found by volunteers from our partner organization. He lived together with a friend, with whom he rented a room in a village near Battambang.
Because his family did not accept him and even violated him because of his sexual preference, he left home. He has known for a long time that he is HIV-positive, but has also stopped fetching and taking HIV inhibitors a while ago. When he was found he was too weak to stand on his own feet. In the meanwhile, he has been taken to a clinic and the volunteers of BC gave him food, dietary supplements and paid the hospital expenses.
Without financial support of Untenu, BC could not help him. For Untenu Foundation, it is important to work even more on fundraising, if we wish to honor all aid requests. The budget for this year has already been exceeded, which means that for the budget for 2018 a higher amount has to be collected for emergency aid.
DONATE & HELP LGBTI LIVING WITH HIV
If you want to support our work, you can transfer an amount of money in many ways. With this money, we continue to provide emergency relief to HIV positive LHBTIs living in poverty in Cambodia. The assistance is being carried out by local volunteers from our partner organization Bandanh Chaktomok.
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