MSM (Men having Sex with Men) Homosexual Population is not just the target population for Aids Prevention Educational Campaigns; they are an important force in the society’s development of educational campaigns.  In order to prevent Aids transmission in the MSM homosexual population, it was necessary to strengthen their directional and instructional skills in Aids prevention.  On 7 June 2008, under the help of the local disease control department, Hebei Province’s Baoding Homosexual Net and Baoding Tongxinyuan Aixin Workgroup started the Homosexual Population Aids Prevention Volunteers’ Training Program in Gucheng Baoding.  14 MSM homosexual volunteers accepted Aids Prevention Skills Training.  The experts carried out a systematic training starting from the Aids epidemic trends to the development of peer volunteers, MSM baseline surveys, Health Intervention Skills and Techniques, the introduction of VCT and the correct way of using condoms.

Baoding Homosexual Net and Baoding Tongxinyuan Aixin Workgroup developed the Aids Intervention Campaign and effectively overcame the problems of the MSM population being widespread with high mobility and being difficult to reach.  This stimulated the much needed proactive participation and initiatives in the area of preventing Aids within the MSM community.  In the area of promoting the healthy development of Baoding’s Aids Prevention and Control activities within the MSM population, this had a positive impact in motivating the whole city towards the Aids prevention and control work.

To date, an accumulated total of closed to 12,000 condoms were distributed to more than 1200 people through Baoding Homosexual Net and Baoding Tongxinyuan Workgroup.  According to the website’s random sample survey in 2008, in the last six months’ the percentage of condom usage for anal sex had reached 81.3%.

 * Translated at CHAIN by Sock Sim Koh