Since 2000, MSF has been providing treatment for people living with HIV and TB in Dawei, a town in Tanintharyi region, on Myanmar’s southern coast. With a cohort of over 2,000 people, MSF provides comprehensive HIV care, health education and counselling services for patients. Our activities in Dawei focus on groups vulnerable to infection such as the fishing community and migrant workers.

Health education and counselling are essential components in MSF’s treatment programme in Dawei – offering people living with HIV (and other members of the community) a way to better understand and cope with HIV. MSF’s health education teams regularly meet with local communities – encouraging HIV testing, acceptance of treatment and providing a space for patients to express their challenges and share their experiences. MSF’s peer counsellors lead by example – as trained counsellors living with HIV, they help patients cope with, and alleviate the stigma of HIV through firsthand experience.