27 May 2010

Punjaya, Indonesia: "People do not only answer my questions, but ask their own questions… for example, how I got out of drug addiction."

Coming from a small village in central Java, Aries Maulana regrets not receiving the information and services he needed when he found out his HIV status. He also faced discrimination and stigma while kicking his drug habit and learning about life with HIV. But Mr. Maulana and seven other UNV volunteers living with HIV themselves are now lending their insights to a ground-breaking study that will improve Indonesia's HIV response.

The project on the socio-economic impact of HIV on households in Indonesia has also been selected for presentation at the upcoming XVII International AIDS Conference in Vienna. The conference held from 18-23 July 2010 will be attended by former US President Bill Clinton.

There are a quarter of a million people living with HIV in Indonesia, and the rate of infection is increasing rapidly. Moreover, due to Indonesia’s large population – 245 million people spread over 17,000 islands – verifying the true scale and consequences of HIV is very hard.

In order to shed light on the situation, in 2008 UNV, UNDP and partner organizations initiated a study on the socio-economic impact of HIV at the household level. It aims to capture the experience of affected families in order to provide institutions with the necessary data to formulate more comprehensive HIV policies.

The study looks deeply into unemployment and loss of income, the implications for women and children, as well as the effects of social attitudes and stigmas. It brings together UNV and UNDP with the International Labour Organization (ILO), the National Bureau of Statistics (BPS) and 'Jothi', an Indonesian network of people living with HIV, with start-up finances from the UNAIDS Program Acceleration Fund (PAF).

UNV recruited seven UNV volunteer Field Researchers to serve in areas where HIV is prevalent, such as Jakarta, East Java, Bali, Nusa Tenggara and Papua. Their presence was imperative for accessing households including people living with HIV, because interviewees felt more at ease with people in similar circumstances.

Aries Maulana acted as Research Coordinator, facilitating the planning, implementation and monitoring of the study and promoting a participatory approach. He travelled around Indonesia to visit and mentor the Field Researchers as they performed their duties.

In regions such as Papua, his motivation to help others grew even stronger. In his conversations with people affected by HIV, Mr. Maulana saw that the study confirmed the massive socio-economic impact of HIV. He listened to dramatic stories, particularly from women living in remote areas.

In Punjaya, an AIDS widow told him she needed to go to the hospital at least every month to get the antiretroviral drugs. Since the hospital was only accessible by plane, far too expensive for her pocket, she suspended the treatment. Aries was particularly touched when the woman asked him: “Should I prioritize myself or my children’s meals?”

This experience, says Aries Maulana, showed him how important the study is. By making reliable and qualitative data available, Indonesia's forthcoming HIV programmes on will hopefully prevent people from having to make such tough choices.