Fighting AIDS in Asia: A Roundtable with Three Activists on the Front Lines in Rural China
In February, ARFC co-hosted with the Asia Society a panel discussion featuring two AIDS activists from China. Cheng Xiangyang was one of the earliest activists to speak out about AIDS in rural China. He shared a brief history of blood selling in Henan and the challenges the rural communities faced in getting the government to recognize the infections. Police raids and government cover-up were, more often than not, the responses to the petitions of the rural villagers. Now, there is an AIDS policy in place, and the role of NGOs has been critical in delivering key services. This transformation was reiterated by Lu Jun, based in Beijing. He focuses on the policy and advocacy to address infectious diseases, such as hepatitis B and HIV. He argues passionately for the increased participation of civil society and the need for NGOs voices that dialogue with the government to combat stigma. This event was a fascinating look at the different ways activists are pushing the boundaries of policy and advocacy around HIV/AIDS in China. What was clear was that despite ongoing challenges, there continues to be committed individuals to ensure vulnerable communities are not forgotten.
Event Details:
| Date: | Thursday, February 28, 2008 |
| Time: | 7:00-9:00 pm |
| Location: | Chinese for Affirmative Action 17 Walter U. Lum Place (off Clay St. between Grant and Kearny) San Francisco, CA |
Free and Open to the Public
For more information, please call 415.421.8707 (Asia Society) or 415.839.3570 (AIDS Relief Fund for China)
Co-sponsored by AIDS Relief Fund for China
While China now has a policy that provides free HIV medicines and financial assistance, much remains to be done by the grassroots community. Please join us for a rare opportunity to hear from three activists on the front lines of this battle.
To what degree does the government's AIDS policy translate into effective action on the ground? How do the front-line activists bring change to their local communities? Is government policy on Hepatitis B -- an even greater issue in China, and one that often overlaps with AIDS -- similarly evolved? How do NGOs work to supplement and improve state efforts? How do they address the difficult challenge of effecting policy change at the national level? How are international NGOs helping? These are but a few of the critical issues to be addressed.
Speakers:
Mr. Cheng Xiangyang is an eyewitness living in the HIV epicenter of central China. For more than 20 years, he has been helping local villagers in their struggle for survival. With only a middle school education, he has written essays on the AIDS villages of Henan published in various magazines and websites in China. Currently, he is the Director of the Beijing Loving Source Information Center and the manager of the "Five Household Co-op" project in Henan Province, which uses microfinancing to support rural communities.
Ms. Zhang Ying is the founder of the Fu Ai AIDS Orphan Support Center. Since 2003, she has supported children impacted by AIDS in Anhui Province. She set up an activity center where children could learn and play in a group setting every Saturday. Her work was featured in the Academy Award-winning documentary The Blood of Yingzhou District. Currently, more than 500 children receive financial support from the Fu Ai Center.
Mr. Lu Jun is the web master behind China's largest Hepatitis B website and the director of Yirenping, an NGO that champions the rights of the people with Hepatitis B. Although one in ten Chinese are infected, public discussion of the disease is virtually taboo and discrimination against those infected is all too common. Lu Jun has helped bring nearly twenty cases of discrimination to court. He is also the co-editor of Conquering Hep B, the most comprehensive book in China on the social issues confronting hep B carriers.
Note: Speaker Remarks in Mandarin. Translation Provided.