Ashar Alo Society (AAS) is a community based Non Governmental Organization of People Living with HIV and AIDS (PLHIV) with around eighteen years’ experience development projects management and pioneer of HIV management in Bangladesh. Since its inception AAS has been working towards ensuring care, support, empowerment, and greater involvement of PLHIV with national & international donors funding through providing comprehensive package of care & support services e.g. counseling, Opportunistic Infections (OIs) management, providing Anti Retro Viral Therapy (ART), Voluntary Counseling & testing (VCT) service, support for PPTCT, Help line services, advocacy & networking for ensuring more services, capacity building of PLHIV & affected family members through different initiatives. The organization has long experienced of promoting human rights, discrimination, stigmatization, fear and lack of support of PLHIV, these ultimately created inner force to make them strengthened. Over the decade, AAS has created a strong networking and collaboration with numerous national and international organizations through effective implementation of its projects and interventions.
Background of AAS:
A group of people infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS from all over Bangladesh and those who love them initiated the process of voluntary care and support since 1998 and formulated an organization named Ashar Alo Society (AAS). As they were experienced of discrimination, stigmatization, fear and lack of support, these ultimately created inner force to make them strengthened. And in 2000, Ashar Alo Society was formally established as a formal entity of PLHIV under the umbrella of Advocacy Program, CCDB. In 2001 AAS got regional recognition, received fund from UNDP Regional HIV and Development program, South and North Asia under its GIPA project. Then Ashar Alo Society started working as the first independent self-help group of PLHIV in Bangladesh since 1st January 2002 with the financial and technical support from FHI.