No More Friends Lost to AIDS
May 5, 2025
A Trans Activist’s Journey for Legal Recognition
May 7, 2025Village Funds for HIV and AIDS Control
Despite the high number of HIV cases, not all villages in the border areas of Belu District have allocated budgets for HIV and AIDS control programs. Leosama Village, located in Kakuluk Mesak Sub-district, is one of the few that has allocated funding for infectious disease control for the first time. This achievement is primarily due to the active role of the Leosama Village AIDS Care Community, which consistently advocated for the allocation of village funds toward this cause.
Since 2023, Leosama Village has had a designated budget for HIV and AIDS awareness activities and incentives for community health cadres. The Village Government has implemented this budget.
On 7 July 2022, CD Bethesda YAKKUM, through the HIV and AIDS Integrated Control Program in Belu District, organized a training on HIV and AIDS budgeting for the AIDS Care Community and Peer Support Groups. Held at Nusantara Dua Hotel Atambua, the training aimed to enhance participants’ knowledge and skills in managing village funds. During the session, participants shared their ideas and drafted budget proposals to be submitted to their respective village governments.
As a result of this training, the AIDS Care Community and Peer Support Groups became more active in the village development planning process. Motivated by what they had learned, the Leosama Village AIDS Care Community took the initiative to approach and advocate to village officials—particularly the Village Head, the Village Consultative Body, and village facilitators—to support HIV and AIDS prevention and response using village funds.
Due to these advocacy efforts, the AIDS Care Community was included in the 2023 budget planning deliberation forum. During this forum, they presented their proposals and budget plans, which had been prepared based on their training. These efforts culminated in approving a budget allocation of Rp12,019,900 for HIV and AIDS socialization and cadre incentives, as formalized in the 2023 Leosama Village Budget Determination Meeting.
On 18 April 2023, an HIV and AIDS awareness session was held at the Leosama Village Office near the border between West Timor (Republic of Indonesia) and Timor-Leste. This event resulted from a collaboration between the AIDS Care Community and the Village Government. It was attended by 30 young people and facilitated by representatives from CD Bethesda YAKKUM and the Moris Foun Belu Peer Support Group.
Few villages in Belu District have managed to allocate Village Funds for HIV control programs, making Leosama Village a standout example. The commitment of the Village Head and his team deserves recognition. In addition to budgetary support, the previous village government had issued a Village Head Decree supporting the AIDS Care Community. This decree has further legitimized their role, enabling them to carry out essential duties in the community—raising awareness, preventing and controlling HIV and AIDS, and supporting people living with HIV (PLHIV).
HIV and AIDS socialisation activities
The HIV and AIDS socialisation activities in Leosama Village led to the formation of the HIV and AIDS Youth Forum. This forum was established to support the efforts of the AIDS Care Community cadres in preventing HIV transmission and promoting awareness by disseminating accurate information to the broader community. Its goal is to help reduce stigma and discrimination against PLHIV.
CD Bethesda YAKKUM supports the forum by facilitating regular quarterly meetings, which focus on planning, evaluating activities, and enhancing the members’ knowledge and capacity in HIV and AIDS-related issues.
The Leosama Village AIDS Care Community hopes that the allocation of Village Funds for HIV and AIDS initiatives will continue in the coming years. It also hopes other villages in border areas can replicate this model to accelerate the control and prevention of HIV and AIDS.
(Julia Olo Goncalves)
