This activity is a new collaboration in FY08 with the Ministry of Public Security (MOPS) as prime partner.

Previous support for MOPS was in FY04 and FY05, when the US Pacific Command's Center of Excellence

(COE) funded training for new recruits as a pilot program through prime partner UNAIDS and sub-partner

Vietnam Ministry of Defense. Building on the pilot program, this activity in FY08 aims to provide information

and training to help guide new recruits toward making informed decisions about their behaviors, and to raise

HIV/AIDS awareness among other members of MOPS. Furthermore, as a key target group in the country's

national response, this activity intends to improve knowledge and attitude that would also improve the

police's approach towards vulnerable population. Components of FY08 activity will include: training for

trainers and peer educators; peer education courses; modification of training materials; provision of training

and support for other MOPS sub organizations; and support the use of existing MOPS media to disseminate

HIV information.

Building on the existing FY04 and FY05 activity, with a total of 175 trained and 4000 members reached with

prevention messages, MOPS will expand the program in FY08 to conduct training for trainers (TOT)

courses for an estimated 1000 peer educators, who will be responsible for delivering HIV/AIDS awareness

courses for approximately 20,000 MOPS members in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Can Tho, An Giang, Hai

Phong, Quang Ninh, and three additional provinces, to be determined at a later time by MOPS and COE.

Peer educators recruited from the MOPS healthcare system, including prisons and detention centers, and

staff from the provincial, district, and commune levels, will be trained on methods and skills on peer

education and knowledge on HIV/AIDS/STI prevention, and Vietnam's Directive 54 and HIV Law. COE will

also support training for MOPS Women's Union, Youth Union, and Staff Association on HIV Prevention,

Community based Care and Support and Directive 54 and HIV Law. The MOPS Women's Union will also

receive technical assistance (TA) to set up clubs that will be an additional outreach venue for peer

educators.

All peer educators will be equipped with HIV prevention training kits to support their outreach. MOPS will

revise training kits to be provided to peer educators. MOPS Women's Union, Youth Union and Staff

Association will be provided with communication kits based on the UN Peer Education Kit for Uniformed

Service to promote prevention interventions.

Peer educator outreach messages will reinforced through information, education, and communication (IEC)

campaigns conducted through domestic media channels. MOPS will work with its weekly television

program, which is broadcast through VTV1, VTV2, and VTV4, to introduce role models for HIV prevention

and will keep new recruits informed about any HIV-related new, e.g. drugs and HIV, policy changes, drugs

and HIV, and MOPS national prevention efforts. MOPS will also sponsor dissemination of HIV information

through its daily newspaper (Bao Cong An Nhan Dan) column.

All new recruits will be actively encouraged to engage in social events related to HIV prevention. Leading up

to World AIDS Day, MOPS will organize and invite new recruits to participate in writing and drama contests,

of which the best will be selected for presentation. On World AIDS Day, MOPS will host social events at the

central and provincial level as well as inside prisons. The social events will provide recruits will an

opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of HIV prevention in a relaxed environment.

Qualified staff will be trained and delegated to monitor the quality of the IEC messages and peer outreach.

External TA will be organized by the MOPS to assess the activity at the end of the funding cycle. By the end

of FY08, an estimated 1000 peer educators will be trained and 23000 are anticipated to receive HIV/AIDS

prevention messages.