The "we understand" group was founded in January 2004 under the umbrella of the AIDS ACCESS Foundation. The "we understand" group has gathered friends from various agencies, including NGOs, youth living with HIV/AIDS, media and artists who have a common interest and belief in working together by emphasizing public awareness for the understanding and care for children/youth living with HIV/AIDS.

            The "we understand" group initiated the "Paint My Life: with Understanding of HIV Positive Kids" project since 2004 with the support of UNICEF Thailand Office. The undertaken activities emphasised a social campaign in order to build understanding and care of children/youth living with HIV/AIDS through art performance and exhibitions by children/youth living with HIV/AIDS. It also developed a model for counselling and activities for children/youth living with HIV/AIDS. The group has also cooperated with other agencies and organisations in conducting activities to build their own capacity and skills in the provision of support and the development of children/youth living with HIV/AIDS. It supported the development of networks and promoted the development process and the protection of the rights of children/youth living with HIV/AIDS.

            Since mid 2005, the "we understand" group has worked with 26 children/youth living with HIV/AIDS aged 10-16 years from the North, Northeast and Central regions of Thailand who are living with HIV/AIDS in collaboration with several multi sectorial organizations.

            They presented an art performance and exhibition titled, "who am i why am i here" in order to increase the understanding and care of HIV positive children and develop models for using art as a means of counselling and therapy for children.

            The artworks of the children were exhibited at the 15th International AIDS Conference, Bangkok 2004 and the 16th International AIDS Conference, Toronto 2006.

            The artistic works and voices of the 26 children who participated in this project communicated with over 3,850 people who attended the 7 times of art performance and exhibition. In addition, they attracted almost 100,000 people through the media such as newspapers, magazines, radio broadcasts, television, leaflets and sign boards.

            The art performance and exhibition not only assisted the audience to perceive and understand HIV infected children more, but the audience were touched with the childrens power and as a result some children began to gain for the first time, the feeling of self-esteem. After it was finished, the children continued to learn about art for happiness and at the same time campaigned with people in society.

            The children said that they were inspired to participate in this activity, not only to learn various arts, including painting, photography, music and drama, but to also met friends and felt that this participation would have future benefits for them as well as every child living with HIV.

            The "we understand" group also implemented some additional activities to support the ultimate objectives of the project. Such objectives were to develop a working model for improving the quality of life of children/youth living with HIV/AIDS and to strengthen the relationship among cooperative allied parties.

            These activities have encouraged the setting up of a collaborative network for working with children and encouraged the development of working models for working with children in a holistic manner and on a continual basis. This has been unitised most often when working together with TNP+ and other supportive organizations in the Northern and Northeastern Regions where there are a large numbers of children affected by HIV/AIDS. The activities conduced were also the training or workshop and giving advice to persons working in HIV/AIDS and other related persons almost 1,000 persons. Including distribution of around 86,000 copies of books, leaflet, card, VCD and DVD for communication between positive parents and young children, facts about children and AIDS, health care for parents and the young who living with HIV/AIDS, childrens art and reflections including with the DVD the sea has a secret and the cartoon VDO Red Bow Bear, AIDS education for the children below 9 years old.

            In 2007, the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO), Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Centre (TRC-ARC) together with UNICEF Thailand, supported the we understand group to scale up the project. The project grew from only 26 children (as in the previous group) to cover up to 138 children/youth living with HIV/AIDS across the country, including children/youth from Southern Thailand where HIV infection rates are on the rise.

            The project will continue to develop the counselling and art learning (drama, painting, photography, and music) with children and youth living with HIV/AIDS. This includes strengthening the capacity of children to express themselves and meet their own needs. A diverse range of art activities will be organized based on the specific interests of the children and in keeping with local culture. It is most likely that we can recruit and coordinate some art teachers to get them involved in the art activities to enhance the learning capacity of children.

            Moreover, the project will support local coordinating agencies or organizations to integrate other life skills training into the art learning process or establish training alongside art activities. Some childrens problems are complicated and additional training in other areas maybe required to address their specific issues. For example, they may need to learn about life skills, health care and sex education.

            In 2008, a new art performance and exhibition developed by the children will aim to raise public awareness for the understanding and care of children and youth living with HIV. It will advocate for strategies to deal with stigma and discrimination and to care for children and youth living with HIV/AIDS in the community in all regions and at the national policy-making level. It will include planning for cooperating with international organisations to build a global campaign.

            The peer self-help groups for children and youth living with HIV/AIDS will be established and cooperate with TNP+. The project will also promote the participation of parents in the process to enhance the capacity of children as well.

The Partner Organisations:

• AIDS ACCESS Foundation (ACCESS)
• Thai Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (TNP+)
• HIV Netherlands Australia Thailand Research Collaboration, Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Centre
• Phachomklao Phetburi Hospital, Phetburi Province
• Infectious Disease Division, Department of Pediatrics, Srinagarind Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University
• Knowledge Network Institute of Thailand
• Art Laemkom School
• Deo Documentary Group
• Dinsorsee Creative Group

Objectives:

• To raise public awareness for the understanding and care of children and youth living with HIV in the community and at a national level, including cooperating with international organisations.
• To strengthen the capacity of partners working at all levels emphasizing children/youth living with HIV/AIDS (comprehensive intervention - prevention and holistic care-treatment - to prevent and reduce impacts of AIDS among children/youth living with HIV/AIDS )
• To promote the active participation of children/youth living with HIV/AIDS in response to the impact of HIV/AIDS.

Strategies and Activities
Objective 1:
To raise public awareness for the understanding and care of children/youth living with HIV in the community and at a national level, including cooperating with international organisations to build a global campaign.

• Continue with the implementation of art performances and exhibitions of children/youth living with HIV/AIDS in all regions of Thailand and support networking among international organisations to build a global campaign. And to continue advocacy for understanding and care for children/youth living with HIV/AIDS.
• Produce the several kinds of media to distribute and reach more communities.
• Organise the working group meeting every month for planning, monitoring and evaluation the activities on art, social campaign and children learning.

Objective 2:
To strengthen the capacity of partners working at all levels emphasizing comprehensive intervention to prevent and reduce the impact of AIDS in children/youth living with HIV/AIDS (prevention and holistic care-treatment)

• Study of models for promote the capacity of the people working with children/youth living with HIV/AIDS (comprehensive intervention to prevent and reduce the impact of AIDS) and organize the training.
• Provide technical support to the partners working at all levels through participatory training workshops, seminars and support visits. Possible training includes: AIDS communication and counseling for children/youth, sex education and life skills training, art therapy and pediatric care.
• Development of networks among partners working at all levels.
• Documentation and dissemination.
• Support the district level hospitals develop the services for ARV treatment for children, and cooperate to develop the suitable formulations and service for the conditions of children and their families.
• Support the school and community organizations prevent, reduce the HIV discrimination and encourage dependence on welfare and external support.

Objective 3:
To promote the active participation of children/youth living with HIV/AIDS in response to the impact of HIV/AIDS.

• Promote and expand support to the peer self-help groups of children/youth living with HIV/AIDS and strengthen the capacity of children to express and meet their own needs, develop appropriate knowledge and skills, counseling and therapy via an art therapy approach.
• Support the network links with the TNP+ .
• Provide families with holistic support, in particular their capacity to provide children with psychosocial and emotional support, and strengthen communities support the children and families.

Members of the working group:
1. Ms. Chutima Saisaengjan
2. Ms. Chenchira Pungsuk
3. Ms. Chiranuch Premchaiporn
4. Ms. Sudrak Lakhonphon
5. Ms. Sirirat Kasisedaphan
6. Ms. Namphung Plangraun
7. Ms. Panida Thapanangkun 
8. Ms. Manee Yentang
9. Ms. Thidarat Pongphamorn
10. Mr. Ratchapon Kanchanakama 
11. Mr. Pasakorn Intoo-Marn