Xishuangbanna
The Xishuangbanna BCI Team
- Team = 35 Nationals, 3 Expats
- Site Director – Jaap den Butter
Who we impact
(i) the Commercial Sex Workers (CSW) Project impacts:
- High risk commercial sex workers
- Brothel owners and managers
(ii) the Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Project impacts:
- Leprosy affected, their families and communities in which they live
(iii) the Children’s Services Initiative (CS) Project impacts:
- Families with disabled children
- Orphans
What we Do
(i) the Commercial Sex Workers (CSW) Project aims to increase education on and prevention of HIV/AIDS and STIs, build relationships and help direct CSWs to alternative long-term vocations. This involves:
- Relationship building and participatory small group sessions (PLA)
- Educating CSWs and brothel managers about HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted illnesses (STIs) and ways to minimise transmission
(ii) the Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Project aims to see the villagers affected by leprosy being integrated as peers in their community. This involves:
- Cooperating with the local Center for Disease Control, to gather baseline data on stigma for target populations
- Teaching self-care methods and sustainable lifestyle practices
- Providing leprosy education to the general population to decrease stigma towards the disease
(iii) the Children’s Services Initiative Project (Seth Home) aims to minimise the risk of abandonment of children with disabilities and deformities. This involves:
- Providing services (medical or consultation) and building support networks for parents and primary care givers
- Orphan care work
- Educating affected families on practical child care
- Encouraging the local community to adopt or foster abandoned children in the area
How the Site Started
This is BCI’s oldest site and began in July 1994 when, in coordination with the Yunnan Provincial Public Health Bureau, a program to train village doctors was started. Each training session was 3 months long, and the program was run three times a year, with 40 students in each class.
Over the years different leaders have come to help and run the program, as well as starting a variety of other projects.
Location Xishuangbanna
Geographic Description
Xishuangbanna, is the most southern prefecture of Yunnan Province and literally means "twelve thousand rice fields". It's capital is JInghong, a city straddling the Mekong River with many tropical parks and flowers, colourful buildings and growing tourism.Weather
The climate is tropical and sometimes referred to as "the paradise without winter". Summer temperatures average 25°C (77°F) and winter 10°C (49°F). The rainy season falls between May to August.People groups of Xishuangbanna
Xishuangbanna has population of over 900,000 and 13 ethnic groups including Dai, Hani, Bulang, Wa, Jinuo, Yao ,Zhuang ,Hui, Miao ,Bai, Han etc. Dai is the main nationality making up approximately one-third of the provinces' population. Each minority group has its own distinctive features, with the customs, cultural and religious beliefs of the Dai people being the most typical and representative of the area. These differences have for many years attracted numerous tourists from china and from abroad for sightseeing and traveling.Xishuangbanna is well known for...
...being the home of the famous pu'er tea, numerous minority ethnic groups, an array of festivals and some of China's most striking wildlife, including elephants, peacocks, monkeys, tigers and leopards.
