More Than Just a Project

It’s close to midnight, and I’m sitting on the floor of Ott and Karyn’s home with some of the leadership of the Thai Drug User’s Network. There are papers strewn everywhere, and two or three laptops open and running. We’re talking about a document I’ve been working on to help TDN think through a restructuring of the roles and responsibilities of their Board and staff. We’re drawing organizational charts, with circles and arrows, translating as we go, talking about ways to consolidate roles and improve communication. They’re preparing Power Point slides to share with fellow network members later in the week at their Board meeting. They are almost embarrassingly thankful for the time I’ve spent helping them. I, however, am profoundly moved by the scene of which I’m a part. Taking a step back, knowing the discrimination that IV drugs users face in Thailand (as well as so many other places), I find myself wishing I could take a picture of them stooped over their laptops in the middle of the night, poring over documents not even written in Thai and publish it somewhere – a striking portrait with the power to undercut deep stereotypes.

Working with the Network over the last week, I don’t want to paint a romantic picture of the members. They are people who have lived difficult lives. Some have been in prison. Some are in recovery. Others use. Many are HIV+. Watching their interactions, I’ve remarked that it sometimes feels like the culture of the therapeutic community (of which many have been a part during their lives) and Thai values of saving face clash in difficult and complicated ways as members work together. Yet, I’ve never worked with a more dedicated group of individuals with deep commitment to their cause. While they welcome the resources and visibility that have come from their recent Global Fund grant, their dedication clearly has nothing to do with the project. The importance of their work – and getting it right – is not theoretical to them. It is their lives – and the lives of their friends and family that are at stake.