PHA Voices

December 1, 1994
Asian AIDS Groups Join Forces to Form Coalition

On World AIDS Day, December 1st, 1994, three of the AIDS groups serving the South-east Asian communities in Metro marked the special day by joining forces to form a new coalition agency. Gay Asians Toronto's Gay Asian AIDS Project, Southeast Asian Service Centre's Vietnamese AIDS Project and the Toronto Chinese Health Education Committee's AIDS Alert Project will amalgamate together to form the new coalition agency: Asian Community AIDS Services (ACAS).

The idea to develop the coalition started two years ago and formal planning work began in January 1994. "The successful formation of ACAS is the result of many months of hard work. The volunteer working group of ACAS meets every other week and spends the time between meetings consulting and informing our communities. There were many barriers to be overcome.

The gay Asian communities and the "mainstream" Asian service agencies had not worked together much and there were a lot of apprehension and distrust when people initially came together. There were issues of safety, identity, territoriality, politics and overcoming homophobia. I am touched to see the good will and energy that is generated when people from diverse backgrounds come together with open minds and caring hearts to work on a common vision," says Kathy Leung, Co-Chair of the Toronto Chinese Health Education Committee.

There has been extensive community consultation with the grassroots communities in the planning and development of the coalition agency. "GAT and GAAP have gone through visioning and strategic planning sessions, client surveys, volunteer and membership consultations and two general membership meetings to discuss and decide the changes. The model of the coalition agency was supported by the vast majority of our community. These important processes were necessary because they brought up many issues to be discussed and addressed by the partner groups in our negotiation process," says Patrick Truong, President of Gay Asians Toronto.

"I am very happy that I lived to see the formation of ACAS. I have always believed in a more inclusive and more co-operative community and that's what ACAS means to me. I think by working together we will have better services and in the long run, a better world to live in," says an Asian living with AIDS on the ACAS working group.

"The vision that unites the partners in forming the coalition is improving access and effectiveness of our services to the Asian communities infected and affected by HIV/AIDS," says Dr. Alan Li, Co-Chair of GAAP and Honorary President of the Southeast Asian Services Centre, who initiated the idea of ACAS. "Of course a better system will enable us to streamline resources and co-ordination, but most importantly, the vision of ACAS is to build a larger and more unified and supportive community in fighting AIDS.

By bringing the partners together, ACAS hopes to provide a more one-stop shopping model for services, increase access to Asians with HIV/AIDS, improve effectiveness in serving their families and significant others, reach hard to reach populations and form a stronger voice in building a healthier and less discriminatory society for all."

To mark this importation occasion, the ACAS partner groups hosted a reception and press conference at the Gay Asian AIDS Project office on World AIDS Day, December 1, 1994.