Interact Worldwide in Asia
Despite the religious and cultural diversity among and within the Asian countries where we work, they face many of the same health problems. Early marriage, gender-based violence, and low status of women in society place women at high risk of HIV/AIDS, maternal mortality, and other negative SRH outcomes. Criminalisation of same-sex intercourse, and stigma and discrimination against males who have sex with males, injecting drug users and sex workers, put these groups at increased risk as well.
HIV prevalence in Asia is relatively low compared to Sub-Saharan Africa, and is principally concentrated among groups participating in high risk behaviours. However, many socio-economic and cultural factors create an environment where HIV, if not effectively addressed, could rapidly grow into a generalised epidemic. Through our programming in Asia, Interact Worldwide builds partners' capacity to provide information and harm reduction services to particularly vulnerable groups such as sex workers, transgenders, men on the move (e.g. truck drivers), and injecting drug users, and to empower them to advocate on their own behalves. We also support work with refugees, women and street children, who are at great risk of abuse, HIV/AIDS and other negative SRH outcomes.
Poor health infrastructure, compounded with restricted mobility of women, means that SRH services in some areas (particularly remote rural parts) are inadequate and often inaccessible to the women that need them most. Interact Worldwide assists partners in improving the quality of sexual and reproductive services, empowering women to access those services, and sensitising communities and decision-makers on SRH&R.
Women's empowerment and capacity building of local organisations are cross-cutting themes of all activities in the region. In order to facilitate knowledge-sharing and capacity building within the region, we often contract organisations from within Asia to provide any necessary technical assistance to our partners.
Please click on the below links to read more about some of our current projects in Asia:
Tackling HIV/AIDS among vulnerable communities in Sindh, Pakistan
Improving the Sexual and Reproductive Health of young people in India
Sustainable health care for people in extreme need in Orissa, India
