Ex-drug users on mission to stop spread of HIV

Ex-drug users on mission to stop spread of HIV

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post/Bandung

The Cemara House story began in 2002 when a group of drug users
in Bandung decided to get together and help each other become
more aware of the negative affects of drugs. They then decided to
give up drugs altogether.

On the sidelines of a discussion that year, one of them
revealed that he was HIV positive. His admission startled the
around 10 former drug users who were still confused about the
transmission of the virus.

"After realizing that the reusing and sharing of needles among
users was one of the causes of the spread of HIV/AIDS, the former
addicts willingly joined the voluntary counseling and test (VCT)
program," said the director of Cemara House and former addict,
Ikbal Rahman.

They were shocked to learn from the test results that nine out
of 10 of them were HIV positive. A painful reality, but one that
made them start thinking about their futures. They finally set up
the Cemara House project in January, 2003, after realizing that
they needed to live more meaningful lives and help prevent others
from contracting HIV.

Cemara House is a support group run under the auspices of the
Budi Pekerti Foundation and provides therapy and rehabilitation
for drug addicts who wish to free themselves of their addiction.
The method used to cure is quite rigorous.

Cemara House does not use drugs in either the early or later
stages of the rehabilitation process. Instead, it starts with
detoxification to rid the body of the remaining toxins. The
participants are left to experience cold turkey for two to three
days. During this period, they usually experience vomiting,
fever, diarrhea and various other symptoms. If they are unable to
get through this stage, they will be taken to the hospital to
receive the necessary treatment.

But, if they manage to get through, they will continue with
the therapy and adopt "healthy lifestyles", including learning
self-discipline, doing household chores, and participating in
sports and other recreational activities.

Since the establishment of the non-profit facility in 2003, 68
drug users between the ages of 18 and 30 have been treated, 48 of
whom were HIV positive.

Four of the 10 former addicts later set up the Bandung Plus
Support Group. Due to the huge number of drug addicts in Cemara
House who are infected with HIV, USAID has extended a grant, and
this will be followed by AusAid, as part of a harm reduction
program in which drug addicts can exchange their used needles for
new ones free of charge.

The work is risky, especially for those involved in the harm
reduction program. Workers have to visit addict communities to
promote the provision of free syringes and to deliver HIV/AIDS
information.

"Because not all people can accept this, we conduct the harm
reduction program covertly starting with close friends who will
then pass it on to others," said Ikbal.

Due to the former drug users' perseverance in promoting the
program, the campaign has been expanded to prisons in Bandung,
where drug abuse is rife, and among drug users in Cianjur and
Sukabumi. Despite the success of the program, its premises in the
Gegerkalong Girang area of Bandung are still rented.

The estimated number of injecting drug users in Bandung alone
is about 500, but the real number could be far higher. The
sharing of needles among users accounts for 61 percent of all new
HIV cases.

Since the first HIV case in south Bandung was discovered in
1989, up to June, 2005, the West Java AIDS Eradication Committee
has identified 268 AIDS cases and 942 HIV cases. With a
prevalence rate of 1:100, the committee estimates that there are
23,385 HIV cases and 3,367 AIDS cases in West Java at the moment.

Bandung has the highest number of HIV/AIDS cases in West Java
at 561. It is hoped that the former drug users' efforts will help
curtail the further spread of HIV/AIDS in the province.