Thailand’s AIDS prevention has been revered as one of the most efficient models in Southeast Asia. By using public-education and safe-sex promotion in the red-light districts, Thailand drastically reduced the number of people being infected with AIDS in the last ten years. Today, however, the epidemic has shifted from sex workers into the everyday society: teens, mothers, fathers, and children. Nok, an AIDS orphan at the Mercy Centre, has the lesions on his legs and back cleaned at the Mercy Centre in Klong Toey Slum in Bangkok, Thailand.

Every week, hundreds of tourists and local visitors stream through the AIDS temple Wat Prabat Nampu outside of Lopburi, Thailand. Although the stigma around AIDS has been improved in recent years, it is still largely misunderstood throughout the country, resulting in the shunning of HIV positive people from families and communities.

Monasawee screams in pain as her diapers are changed at Wat Prabat Nampu. She has an infection in her mouth, which makes it hard for her to eat or drink any food. Like many of the patients at the hospice, it is extremely painful to move her legs, and she has little to no control of her bodily functions. Although the situation is grim for many of the patients, the volunteers and workers concentrate on getting the patients healthy and hopefully, someday back into society.

Two or three patients are bathed at a time on a daily basis by the nurses and volunteers at Wat Prabat Nampu. The temple hospice has limited resources, but the staff, volunteers, and patients do the best with what they have.

Approximately ten patients die every month at Wat Prabat Nampu. When the patients die, there is a cremation ceremony held by the Monks at the temple. If the family comes, then the ceremony is held right away. Otherwise, the cremation is postponed until three patients have died.

Mike Bassano, a volunteer at Wat Prabat Nampu AIDS hospice, helps Sommchai out of the truck at the Lopburi Hospital on Friday, March 10, 2006. The AIDS hospice does not have an ambulance, but instead uses an old pickup truck to transport patients to the emergency room when their conditions worsen. In addition to having AIDS, Sommchai has a bad case of tuberculosis and hasn't been able to keep any food or water down for the past three days. Despite the grim circumstances many patients face, Bassano has hope for the future and looks at places like Wat Prabat Nampu as places of life instead of places of death.

Manikins dressed in condoms is one of many ways local NGO’s are promoting safe sex and AIDS education. In the past ten years Thailand has launched a massive safe sex campaign, which concentrated primarily on sex workers and IV drug users. Although the situation is much better today, AIDS is still largely misunderstood by many Thais and there is a concern that many young adults are continuing to practice unsafe sexual promiscuity. Restaurants such as Cabbages and Condoms donate all of their profits to community development projects.