Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Cresent Societies - 26 September 2002
Rosemarie North in Yangon
It wasn't that she looked sick, says the 28-year-old. It was because she was thin.
"Some people think if you are skinny you have HIV; if you are fat you don't. They also think only ugly people have HIV or AIDS, never beautiful people," says San San Maw, who holds educational discussions at the roadside tea stalls that are an institution in Myanmar.
Every lunchtime and evening, the pavements are crammed with people chatting while perched on tiny stools at teashops. They sip tea, coffee or soft drinks.
These days, the healthy Red Cross worker is no longer as thin and doesn't get asked if she's ill. She has continued to talk to young people about AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, reproductive health, tuberculosis, decision-making and counselling.
And she has become a trainer of other young people who can do the same thing in their own communities. They take the message anywhere their peers hang out - teashops, markets, football matches and even on expeditions into the forest to gather bamboo shoots.
It looks like chat, but the message is serious. After talking to me, San San Maw is approached by a man asking for help. His brother, 25, his brother's wife, 24, and their 11-month-old baby are all HIV-positive. San San Maw spends the evening at the hospital arranging for tests and trying to get treatment for them. Luckily they are from a wealthy family and can afford it.
UNAIDS estimates that there are 530,000 adults and children living with HIV/AIDS in Myanmar. The disease is mostly spread by heterosexual sex or intravenous drug use or from mother to baby. The numbers could be even higher, in a country with 52 million people, widespread poverty, a lack of health care, stigma, a vibrant opium trade and a mobile population.
AIDS is one of the Myanmar government's top health priorities. But the government admits it needs the help of non-governmental organisations like the Red Cross in tackling the problem.
At the teashops, the Red Cross-trained peer educators surround themselves with their friends and ease into the subject of HIV/AIDS. They break the ice with some small talk, then show off a key ring with the name of their Red Cross/Unicef programme, "Life Skills Training and HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Project."
"People ask us why we have the key ring. They ask if we're HIV-positive," says Red Cross colleague Mya Nu Swe, 29.
That gives the educators a chance to talk about how the disease is passed on and how people can protect themselves.
"They know HIV is transmitted from sex but when they look at their girlfriend or boyfriend they don't think it could come from them. They think it only comes from commercial sex workers," says Mya Nu Swe.
Some people also believe any symptom - even diarrhoea - is evidence of AIDS. In a society where respect for your elders is shown by not asking questions, they have no one to share their fears with. So it's easier for young people to discuss personal matters with their peers.
"If their peers don't talk about it they look for information from wherever they can get it. It might be wrong or correct, good or bad. In some places they can get information from the internet," says Dr Phone Saing, the head of health for Myanmar Red Cross.
Mya Nu Swe says young people tell her the training, funded by Unicef, is a success.
"Before the education they know about condoms but they don't want to use them. Sometimes they don't even know how to use them," she says. "Afterwards, most of them say they're not shy to use condoms or to buy them."
Her only regret is that the young people the Red Cross trains to spread the word - about 400 a year - don't stay with the organisation and help disseminate other vital health messages.
In Myanmar young people are clearly divided between those who spend their spare time in teashops, and those who prefer nightclubs. Now that Red Cross volunteers have talked over the teacups, are they going to take their message to dance floors?
"It's too expensive. It costs 2000 Kyat (about US$2) just to get in," says educator Kyaw Thu. And anyway, they're a teashop kind of crowd.
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