Vacation Bible School	Teaching across Borders
	Over 100 children enjoyed the 2 Bible camps held by HPTP staff. October's theme dealt with making moral choices in relationships and the teens in the HOL appreciated learning more about what the Bible says.	HPTP teams led seminars inside Burma and China as well as taught in a Thailand-based meeting with ethnic minority people from China, Laos and Burma.

	The Health Project for Tribal People (HPTP) is a group of ethnic minority Christian workers who are concerned about AIDS and its impact on the ethnic minorities of Thailand. When the project began in 1991, teaching basic AIDS information was the first area of concern. Since that time, HPTP has broadened its scope to include basic health care issues, has started homecare in the villages and has begun providing support for AIDS orphans from different ethnic minorities. The group has also opened a hospice for ethnic minority women with AIDS and their children (1995), a day care center for ethnic minority children (2001) and a youth center for tribal youth at risk (2001). Vision Statement The vision of HPTP is that HIV/AIDS prevention and care will become a shared responsibility of the families and ethnic minority communities. It is expected that ethnic minorities living in Thailand will have access to AIDS education in a language they can understand and that they will have adequate medical care. HPTP's aim is for ethnic minority groups to work together and create networks within the wider society to eliminate HIV/AIDS and its negative impact in their communities.
	Goals of HPTP Ethnic minorities will know the essential information about HIV/AIDS prevention and transmission Women will understand how to prevent mother-to-child transmission and will be able to access government programs designed to help in this prevention Ethnic minority families will be able to provide appropriate home care for those living with HIV/AIDS Ethnic minority families will understand how to access medical care HIV/AIDS orphans will remain within extended families and continue to receive an education Ethnic minority Christians will model a Christian response to AIDS by ministering with compassion to the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of those living with HIV/AIDS
	Initially, because of the high illiteracy rate, the Health Project made a decision to teach basic AIDS information using pictures that were appropriate for the different ethnic minority groups. These pictures were arranged into flip charts. HPTP held seminars and trained village headmen, traveling evangelists and women leaders to teach with the flip charts. The change in understanding has been dramatic. Initial surveys revealed that in one tribal group 85% of the ethnic minority people had heard about AIDS, however, not one person had understood that a mother could pass the disease to an unborn child. Now with the new training materials, 98% understood this mode of transmission.
	Beside flip charts, other materials were developed to reinforce the training. Posters in bright colors that teach basic AIDS education Audiocassettes with stories and songs Videos/DVDs-written, filmed, produced and edited by HPTP staff Calendars with a relevant AIDS message
	The second phase of training was to teach about health issues so that families could do home care for the person living with HIV. Some of the subjects covered include respiratory problems, skin problems and treating dehydration and diarrhea. Besides teaching and developing new materials yearly, follow-up and evaluation are on-going concerns. The HPTP staff also does regular visits to villages to do post-testing and checking. Village visits additionally provide an opportunity for HPTP staff to visit with PHAs (persons with HIV/AIDS) and offer support to an increasing number of AIDS orphans.