in Thailand

TRANSCRIPT:

Why should a Monk be involved in Fighting AIDS?

My name is Tesha Panhuo, I am the head of Wat Hualin temple, and I am also the president of the Association of People living with AIDS in (my) province.
When I started all the people questioned me and asked me what a monk has to do with these problems. Because as you know HIV and AIDS involve sex in a personal way; a monk should not be involved in sexual affairs. But I try to tell them that this is not just a sexual issue; it’s a community and cultural issue. Because this disease does not only involve one or two people, it involves the community as a whole. It involves more than that: It involves our children, the elders, workers – and also the future of our children.  That’s why I think a monk has to help people in the community, to lead them on how to live and how to go on (with life) after they get infected.

What is the Global Fund’s value to the Wat Hualin Community?

In terms of the Global Fund- it has helped the community and the groups a lot. This is because it brings money to support group activities (for people living with AIDS) and makes it stronger than it used to be. Anyway, beforehand, you have got to have a soul first. Okay, money is good, but it is not everything. But the soul and the money, when combined, will help the (social support) club and the groups (of people living with AIDS) get even stronger.  The club (of people living with AIDS) is like a car and the Global Fund is like Gasoline, without both of them the car cannot move, and then we cannot (achieve) success.