Alliance Myanmar makes study tour to Andhra Pradesh, India
30 October 2007
In an example of broader knowledge sharing initiatives across the Alliance network, in September 2007 Alliance Myanmar visited Alliance India Andhra Pradesh to study experiences in and approaches to community mobilisation for sex workers.
Alliance Myanmar visited the Alliance linking organisation Alliance India-Andhra Pradesh (AIAP) with the goal of learning about AIAP’s prevention programme for key populations, especially female sex workers. The study tour focused on the process of programme implementation and potential replication of approaches, methods and processes.
This study tour is one of several currently being conducted within the Alliance. It not only provides benefits to the Myanmar study team, but also represents an important knowledge-sharing attempt with other Alliance country offices and external audiences. The Myanmar study team is producing a report entitled Community mobilisation for sex workers that will be distributed widely. This will be an important attempt to familiarise a broad audience with the community-driven programming being undertaken for sex workers in Andhra Pradesh.
The Myanmar study team was comprised of 14 participants, including the programme manager, project officers, peer educators, outreach workers and doctors. The team visited a number of programme sites in Hyderabad and Ananthapur, Andhra Pradesh state, met members of community-based organisations, and observed the functioning of drop-in centres.
In Myanmar, it is difficult for community-based organisations to undertake advocacy and practically impossible for key populations to lead. Every time members of key populations call a meeting, they must ask for permission from higher authorities, as non-governmental organisations in Myanmar have little freedom. In India, such groups work efficiently with the government and the general population. Gaining trust from the general population facilitates programming for key populations. Empowering peer educators means that they, in turn, can empower others.
While Myanmar currently has no programmes for older sex workers, Andhra Pradesh has both income-generation and health-care activities for older sex workers, with strong participation by sex workers. Community-based organisations focusing on female sex workers have realised the importance of income generation and financial planning for older sex workers, as they often do not have as many clients as their younger counterparts.
