Since Untenu Foundation signed the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Bandanh Chaktomok (BC, National MSMS & TG Network Cambodia), BC has been giving emergency aid to two members of the LGBTI community. The first request came from a HIV positive transgender woman living in the rural area of Kampong Thum. The second request was done for a gay man living with HIV in Battambang.
Transgender: HIV positive contract worker in Kampong Thum
Y. lives in a shabby house in a small village in the province of Kampong Thum (see photo). She was repudiated by her family because she was born a man but prefers to live as a woman. She earned a living – as a contractor. Sometimes in the rice fields, sometimes as a laundry woman, just where villagers hired her for.
She did that work until she got sick. Eventually she let herself testing for HIV and found to be HIV-positive. The team at BC found her and got an amount of Untenu Foundation for food, medical assistance and money for the clinic. Hopefully she will be stronger again soon, now she is on ARV and hopefully she can return to work after a while.
Gay man living with HIV in Battambang
Battambang is an active team of BC. There they found C., a gay man who was until recently fieldworker for Men’s Health Social Service (MHSS), a health organization for men who have sex with men. C. used to be a sex worker in Singapore, something that happens more often in Cambodia. People leave for a while to go abroad to work as a sex worker, something that seems more worthy than other work in Cambodia itself.
During the day C. is a man, but in the evening he lives as a woman. He is HIV positive and for a time it is not going well with C.. Besides HIV, he recently found out that he has stomach cancer. Therefore he is unable work anymore.
With money from Untenu Foundation, this week BC brought food and medicine. Also hospital costs are paid.
You can help them
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