Click here to view a video about HIV/AIDS in China

I.  Advocacy

A.  AIDS Summit, November 2003:   The AIDS Summit, CAI’s first advocacy activity, took place in Beijing after more than a year of planning by ADARC and Tsinghua University.  The Summit gave Bill Clinton a platform to deliver powerful messages on HIV awareness and prevention directly to the Chinese public via television, internet, newspapers, and radio.  President Clinton’s dramatic embrace of an HIV+ activist raised consciousness throughout China and helped build political will among senior leaders for a stronger, national response.

B.  Public Service Announcements, Fall 2004 - ongoing:  In 2004 CAI and the National Basketball Association enlisted China’s most famous athlete, Yao Ming, and HIV+ superstar Magic Johnson, to contribute their time to film a series of public service announcements (PSAs).   The PSAs have been widely promoted, playing since World AIDS Day on national and local channels, trains and buses, and in high and middle schools.

C. Media Training on HIV/AIDS:  CAI is supporting a series of media training workshops organized by Tsinghua University, to give journalists and editors knowledge and skills to inform the public about HIV/AIDS.  Workshops have taken place in Beijing, Henan, and Sichuan, with more planned in 2005 and beyond.  Participants are given an overview and analysis of the epidemic, major policy and social issues facing China’s efforts to control it, medical issues such as transmission modes and available drugs, and best practices in HIV/AIDS reporting.

D. National Poster Campaign:  CAI is rolling out a national poster campaign featuring Yao Ming and Magic Johnson that conveys prevention and anti-stigma messages. The campaign targets rural populations that are difficult to access via television and the web. The NBA superstars are shown eating together, playing ball, and celebrating.  A nationwide dissemination campaign to reach the village level will be launched in autumn 2005.

E.  National AIDS Hotline:   In 2004 China’s Ministry of Health resolved to develop a unified national infectious disease and emergency response hotline, with HIV/AIDS as its focus. CAI is helping the Ministry’s Institute of Health Education prepare a detailed strategic plan, and brought their development team to the U.S. to meet with the American Social Health Association (ASHA), which developed and managed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s AIDS hotline over the past 20 years. The Chinese team learned about the most advanced technology and software for call centers, training approaches for front line responders, and management systems.

F.  Public Policy Training:  CAI partners Tsinghua University and Harvard University are organizing a series of public policy workshops for officials charged with managing China’s front-line response to HIV/AIDS. Collaborations are underway with provincial Party Schools (e.g. in Sichuan) and provincial health authorities (e.g. in Yunnan) to provide decision-makers intensive exposure to national and international best practice in prevention, treatment and care. Such in-service training galvanizes local officials to translate the central government’s directives into informed, responsive practices in regions most badly affected by HIV.