PSAP-PAROLA.ORG | Philippine Seafarers Assistance Programme

Transport against HIV/AIDS: Continuing the Mainstreaming Effort

Washington D.C. 2007 World AIDS Week
28 November 2007
Washington D.C., USA

PSAP was invited by the Transport Sector of the World Bank in Washington DC to deliver a presentation on HIV/AIDS prevention initiatives in the maritime industry. The event “Transport against HIV/AIDS: Continuing the Mainstreaming Effort” was part of the Bank’s World AIDS Week activities. The event recognized the universally acknowledged fact that seafarers are a high-risk population and more should be done to stop the HIV/AIDS pandemic from ravaging the international maritime transport industry.

Dr. Peter Payoyo, PSAP Programme Manager, gave an overview of PSAP’s HIV/AIDS prevention activities which began as early as 1995. Admittedly, PSAP pioneered the use of a port-based and community-supported education/prevention approach that is still considered “best practice” today. Dr. Payoyo described the evolution of this unique approach as well as the outputs and outcomes generated by it throughout the years. Notwithstanding inadequate resources and the limited scope of its outreach, PSAP is still at the forefront of mainstreaming HIV/AIDS efforts for the benefit of Filipino seafarers and their families.

PSAP’s presentation highlighted the necessity of establishing seafarers’ personal trust if prevention efforts in the maritime sector are to succeed. And in PSAP’s experience, simple, basic human trust is established through professional interventions by community-based ship visitors who understand the language, the working conditions, and culture of seafarers.

After the presentation, Ms. Sachiko Gause of the World Bank Transport Department, thanked Dr. Payoyo for “an inspiring presentation”, adding that “We are certain that all the participants benefited greatly from your enthusiasm and expertise. I truly hope that we can continue our partnership for exchange of information and to mainstream HIV interventions for seafarers.”

Want to know more about PSAP’s pioneering HIV/AIDS education and prevention campaign for seafarers? PSAP’s World Bank presentation (in PowerPoint file) is available upon request.