Vietnam Barbers Spread Anti-AIDS Message

In a country where access to mass media is limited, 50 barbers in Haiphong, a busy port city in Vietnam, have been trained as AIDS educators by the nonprofit organization Family Health International (FHI). "Barber Tien" snips away at the mop of dark hair in front of him, chatting with his young male customer. "You really must use condoms if you are sleeping with more than one woman because you don't know who could have AIDS," he says as he trims.

Barbers like Tien work in teams of 10 and set up their stands by the roadside. On their mirrors are stickers that read "Condoms are wonderful to stop AIDS" and "Sharing needles is bad." Underneath shelves stacked with scissors lie comics and information sheets on HIV. "Often people need to ask questions and interact," says Thomas Kane, Vietnam director for FHI. It's not just the barbers of Haiphong who spread the word in AIDS -- a team of 20 shoeshine boys also pass on the message as part of efforts to halt its spread. The projects have been running for six months and tens of thousands of customers have been given information about AIDS.

In Vietnam, intravenous drug users and sex workers are most likely to contract the disease. Official figures show around 40,000 people were HIV-positive as of June 2001, but health workers say the total is more than three times that number. The widespread drug problem in Haiphong, as in many other parts of Vietnam, means the infection spreads rapidly. Some 70 percent of intravenous drug users in Haiphong are HIV-positive and the government, together with FHI, has now set up drop-in centers where users can pick up clean needles and learn about the health risks they face. One such shelter opened in October. In addition to getting free condoms and health information, those who drop by can also play table tennis and visit consulting rooms.

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