Setting up a self-help organization for Chinese AIDS patients and HIV carriers is Xiao Li's dream - and he's almost there.
The 28-year-old quit the Chinese Department of a Beijing university 9 years ago when he found he was carrying HIV.
Today he is the organizer and full-time manager of Red Woods Self-help Project for Chinese AIDS patients and HIV carriers.
The project came into being in late March, when the Ford Foundation decided to finance him. Later he also got backing from the United Nations and the Chinese Ministry of Health.
Li has managed to get funding of US$180,000.
Based in Beijing, Li's project has established four branch offices in Guangdong, Sichuan, Henan and Xinjiang.
The offices provide educational, training support and financial aid to HIV carriers and AIDS patients in those areas.
According to Xiao Li, there are other organizations in China helping AIDS patients. Ditan Hospital established a Hongsidai Zhijia, (Red Ribbon Home). You'an Hospital established a Aixin Jiayuan (Loving Heart Homeland). Zeng Yi, a scientist at the Chinese Academy of Medicine and Sciences, founded the China Venereal Disease and AIDS Prevention Foundation, a non-governmental organization.
Xiao Li thinks HIV carriers and AIDS patients are in need of support in many ways.
But more specifically, they need psychological help to pass the crisis in the early stage of the illness. They need education as to how to form the right living habits and maintain a healthy life style in the late stage of the illness so as to avoid infection.
They need tutoring as to how to get along with other people after getting the disease.
"Chinese HIV carriers don't get sufficient support from others," he said.
Xiao Li has hired three HIV carriers to help him with the work in Beijing. Heads at local offices are also HIV carriers.
Since March, around 2,000 HIV carriers and AIDS patients have benefited from the project, according to Xiao Li.
He uses Marie Stops, a financial organization, to manage the project's finance. He also carries out strict working procedures including budgets, scheduling, activities and reporting.
Before that he was working half the time and being treated the rest.
Because of financial problems he used Chinese herbal medicine until this January, when he started cocktail therapy.
To do that he has already borrowed 30,000 yuan (US$3,610) from friends and relatives.
(China Daily November 16, 2002)
