Reducing STD/HIV Transmission by Sex Education

Sangha Metta Project Sipsongpanna, Yunnan

• The Sipsongpanna Tai Autonomous Prefecture was founded in January 1953.

• The Prefecture, located in southern Yunnan province, has an area of 19,124.5 sq. km. and borders Burma to the southwest and Laos to the southeast.

Sipsongbanna

• The total population of the Prefecture is more than 1 million, of which around 300 thousand people belong to the Tai Lue (Chinese: Daizu) ethnic group.

• Tai Lue (aka Shan) are an ethnic group in Burma/Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and China

• They have their own spoken and written language

• They believe in Theravada Buddhism

• There are more than 570 temples and 200 stupas in the Prefecture, and around 4000 monks and novices.

Local HIV/AIDS Info

• In December 1991, Sipsongpanna registered the first case of HIV/AIDS.

• Since then the number of people living with HIV/AIDS

has increased annually. According to an official survey, in December 2009 there were 1,289 cases in the Prefecture.

Origin of Sangha Metta Project

• September 1999: UNICEF and prefectural government held first training of Buddhist monks in HIV/AIDS prevention

• Several more trainings held later for monks and novices in Sipsongpanna

• In July 2003, with help from UNICEF, the Sangha Metta project was founded

五戒Five Precepts

不杀生 Refraining from killing beings不偷盗 Refraining from stealing and cheating不邪淫 Refraining from improper sexual behaviour不妄语 Refraining from telling lies不饮酒 Refraining from taking intoxicating drinks

四无量心Four Boundless States of Mind

慈 Loving-kindness,love for others-desring that they may be happy悲 Compassion-thin king of helping others to get free from suffering喜 Sympathetic joy ,to be glad in sympathy-when good comes to others舍 Indifference or equanimity,to be neutal and unmoved-not being glad or sorry when others meet with adversities

四谛Four Noble Truths

苦谛 Noble Truth of suffering or discontent集谛 Noble Truth of cause of the arising of suffeing灭谛 Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering道谛 Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering

八圣道 The Noble Path which has Eight Factors or the has Eightfold

Noble Path正见 Right Understanding or View正思维 Right Thought 正语 Right Speech正业 Right Activities or Deeds 正命 Right Livelihood 正精业 Right Effort正念 Right Recolltion正定 Right Concentration

Project approach• The monks make use of different aspects of Buddhist doctrine to

teach about HIV/AIDS:

• Four Boundless States of Mind• Five Precepts• Four Noble Truths• The Eightfold Noble Path

• These principles help provide relief to people living with HIV-AIDS.

• Monks teach Buddhist meditation to help those infected live with HIV and to reduce their suffering.

Buddhist outreach• Sangha Metta Project has built a platform for communication

between monks and people living with HIV/AIDS

• There are three parts to the cooperation:• Buddhist monks• Community volunteers• People living with HIV/AIDS

• The monks built awareness and understanding among community members• Spread Buddhist values among those living with HIV/AIDS • Visiting people at home• Provide them with a subsistence allowance• Help them solve daily practical problems

Monks at work

• Community volunteers teach the use of contraceptives, and provide more specific AIDS prevention information.

• Volunteers teach basic sexual education, promote responsible sexual practices among teenagers, and emphasize the importance of voluntary consultation and HIV testing.

Community Volunteers

People living with HIV/AIDS

People living with HIV/AIDS come forward to talk to community members

• They share their experiences living with the epidemic

• They share the challenges they face in daily life

Sangha Metta Project provides a platform for people living with HIV/AIDS to come together

• Share experiences• Share meals with the monks• Provide mutual support• Make their voices heard

• Since 2007, we are also training youth volunteers to go back to their villages and train others.

• We are continuing to fundraise for this project – your suggestions appreciated!

Next steps

Thank You