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Stories of Change from Our Communities in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines in Responding to HIV, AIDS and Other Challenges © ISEAN, 2013 All rights reserved. Publications of the Islands of Southeast Asia Network on Male and Transgender Sexual Health are available on www.isean.asia and can be obtained in ISEAN Secretariat Office in Jakarta, Indonesia. Request for permission to reproduce or translate ISEAN publications – whether for sale or for noncommercial distribution – should be addressed to ISEAN Secretariat. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion what- soever on the part of the ISEAN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement. All reasonable precautions have been taken by ISEAN to verify the information contained in this publication. However, the published material is being distributed without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. The responsibility for the interpretation and use of the material lies with the reader. In no event shall the ISEAN be liable for damages arising from its use. RAMPA Rampa is used as the title of this publication to refer to the personal and organizational stories shared by GMT (Gay, MSM & Transgender) communities in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines in responding to HIV and AIDS and other challenges. Rampa is a word from the gay lingo used in the Philippines. According to Jay Arian C Caparida, the President of Peer Ed ME - PAMAQC, Rampa means ‘to have a group of friends to go to different places together’ or in other words, hang-out with buddies. The term rampa also means to show off or sashay while walking. The term may have been derived from the English word ‘ramp’, a runway for fashion shows, hence the meaning. First Edition: July 2013 Preface The concept of community involvement in improving health outcomes is based on the principle that if affected communities are actively involved in initiatives that affect their health, better health outcomes are often achieved. This is because of the observation that members of communities often protect and support their other members. Communities of patients and other “affected and vulnerable groups” are acknowledged universally as important partners towards maximizing the reach and impact of health systems. This is particularly true for HIV- AIDS, a disease that affects predominantly young MSMs and Transgenders in the South East Asian Region. Since MSM and TG communities are often hidden and difficult to reach because of the social stigma attached to homosexual behaviors or identity, it is essential to involve MSM and TG communities in national HIV-AIDS responses (GFATM Community Systems Strengthening, 2011). This clearly goes beyond providing services and usual interventions. Community-Based Organizations or CBOs, and their networks, have a unique role and ability to interact with those who are affected in their communities. They are a valuable resource as they can respond quickly to their own needs and engage better with the affected and vulnerable groups. Indeed, local CBOs provide the key link in HIV prevention and control. Without the communities being actively involved from prevention to treatment, national and even regional responses to HIV-AIDS could not be as effective. According to the Community Systems Strengthening document of the GFATM (2011), “To have a real impact on health outcomes, however, community organizations and their members must have effective and sustainable systems in place to support their activities and services. This includes a strong focus on capacity building of human and financial resources, with the aim of enabling community actors to play a full and effective role alongside the health, social welfare, legal and political systems.” One such initiative is the ISEAN-Hivos Program , a Global Fund Round 10 Community Systems Strengthening (CSS) HIV and AIDS project that works with local partners and MSM-TG communities in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Timor Leste. Under this 5-year i | vii program, CBO Capacity building is provided through a series of trainings and organizational development activities. Beyond the numbers of people trained, the success of the project may be better reflected through the stories of the participants and the CBOs themselves. To facilitate the qualitative documentation of the changes that have occurred due to the capacity building interventions provided, the ISEAN-Hivos Team embarked on this task. In-country Workshops were conducted adopting the a variation of the “Most Significant Change Story Technique” or MSC. MSC is a method of participatory monitoring and evaluation developed by Dr. Rick Davies and colleagues more than 15 years ago. This approach is being used in many settings globally as a qualitative documentation strategy and a tool for monitoring and evaluation. Based on the written narratives shared by CBO members who attended writing workshops organized by the Program and in partners in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, this compilation of stories provides the point of view and experiences of the MSM and TG communities. Aside from documenting stories, this publication may also be used as a resource for further researches, advocacy and providing education on MSMs and TGs experiences in various contexts. The stories in this publication reflect how MSM and transgender communities in the three countries rise above the challenges and help themselves and their peers. It is hoped that their stories of struggle, challenge, encouragement and achievement provide a deeper understanding of the group and new perspectives to whoever reads it. CBOs are also hoped to be inspired by the narratives so that they too, continue documenting their experiences and share their stories with others. The Rampa Publication Team and Partners wish to thank everyone who participated in this multi-country initiative in documentation stories from community based organizations. Still, more stories remain unheard and need to be told. This will be the next challenge to all of us. Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. - Henry Ford ii | vii Foreword Communities are a critical stakeholder in any effort to tackle sexual health, human rights and other development issues. Yet communities are often denied self-determination and the opportunity to make its diverse voices heard. The ISEAN-Hivos Program (IHP), supported by the Global Fund 1, with assistance from SatuDunia2 and the United Nations Development Programme Asia-Pacific Regional Centre (UNDP APRC)3 , is focused improving prevention, care, treatment and support for males who have sex with males (MSM) and transgender people, two groups most-affected by HIV in Indo- nesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Timor Leste. A guiding principle for IHP has been that sus- tained, positive outcomes in public health and human right will be maximized by strengthening the ability of community-based organizations (CBOs) and leaders to be able to stand and serve their beneficiaries. Following is a compilation of stories of significant change observed by community partic- ipants in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines over the two years since the beginning of IHP in October 2011, these stories are from members of CBOs who share how they feel and see the changes that have occurred in recent years. This compilation is a product of an IHP activity that facilitated CBOs to document their experiences using a methodology localized and adapted from the Most Significant Change (MSC) Technique4 developed by Dr. Rick Davies and Dr. Jes- sica Dart. This technique enables the documentation and storytelling process to be enhanced with skills-building in basic research and data collection. CBOs were assisted in their process by local journalists, consultants and graphic designers. RAMPA shows both the vulnerability and strength of individuals and communities of sex- ual and gender minorities most-at risk of HIV in the three countries. These narratives play a vi- tal role in promoting civic participation and peer support to tackle the many issues that MSM and transgender people face in each country, especially regarding access to health, protection from discrimination and stigma, and also violence. These issues have manifested differently across the three countries, however the impact at the community-level is strikingly similar. iii | vii RAMPA attempts to contrast the state of the community participation before and after the commencement of IHP. The stories from RAMPA tell us that CBOs and community leaders have a key role in ad- vocating for better health, protection from discrimination and equality before the law. This serves as compelling evidence of the need to maintain support for capacity-building of CBOs and community leaders so that they can scale-up their positive contributions to society. Our network is committed to continuing its work with community networks and strategic partners at the regional, national and local level to address the inequities that exist, while promoting health and social protection for those living with, and most-at-risk of HIV. Islands of Southeast Asia Network on Male and Transgender Sexual Health (ISEAN) June 2013 1 The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

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