DONOR:
Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF)
NAME OF GRANT:
CODE Strategies Project:
Community-Led Online and Digital Engagements to Reduce HIV Prevalence and Advance Equity among LGBTQI+ in Asia-Pacific
PRINCIPAL RECIPIENT:
APCOM Foundation
SUB RECIPIENT:
CARMAH (Center for Applied Research on Men and Community Health), Vietnam
Young MSM and transgender women in Ho Chi Minh City carry a disproportionate HIV burden, and the freeze of USAID/PEPFAR support disrupted key services. testSGN sustains community-led demand generation, connecting communities with free HIV testing and PrEP through digital channels and partner clinics.
Introduction / About the project:
testSGN is the Vietnam country campaign of the CODE Strategies project, implemented by CARMAH, a research centre founded of, by and for the LGBTQI+ community. The campaign was built on eight MOUs with community-based organisations, private clinics, the city health authority and an academic institute — embedding the community’s role from the programme’s inception.
Results have been consistently strong: in January–March 2025, 3,077 LGBTQ+ people were referred for or tested for HIV and 466 accessed PrEP following campaign engagement; in April–June 2025, a further 2,209 testing referrals and 491 PrEP linkages resulted from 4,130 enquiries.
Project Objectives / Goals:
- Reduce HIV infections among young LGBTQI+ people and key populations through digital demand generation.
- Strengthen community capacities to lead online awareness, advocacy, and person-centred health approaches.
- Widen availability and accessibility of community-led HIV prevention tools such as PrEP, HIV testing, and person-centred care.
- Increase the agency of LGBTQI+ communities to report human rights violations and influence policy responses.
Activities:
- Development of the testSGN website and launch of Facebook, Instagram and Threads channels targeting YMSM, MSM and transgender women.
- Lead generation campaigns on Facebook providing full-funnel digital support to the testSGN clinic, offering free HIV testing and PrEP.
- Online advertising partnerships, including a signed agreement with the dating app JackD, and distribution of PnP (party and play) safe packs.
- Community-cast campaign videos with scripts drawn from focus group discussions, photoshoots, SEO and cultural PrEP events blending art and health.
- Person-centred care coordination: desk review, training material preparation and consensus surveys with HCMC partners.
Partners:
testSGN clinic partners, community-based organisations, private clinics, Ho Chi Minh City health authority, academic institutes, JackD.
About the Organisation behind the project
Meet the people behind the project
