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An Evaluation of the MoH/NGO Home Care Programme for People with HIV/AIDS in Cambodiagrounds. Some were village leaders, otherswere students, while others were professionalswilling to give spare time to the programme. Anumber revealed that they were HIV positive.In addition to their work as part of the HCTs,the Volunteers felt that they were better placedto perform some roles which the HCTs were lessable to undertake. The evaluation concurs withthis view and notes that the Volunteers:• are a major source (perhaps the majorsource) of referral of new patientsThe Volunteers expressed the need for moretraining in stress management - for both thepatients and themselves, and said they sometimesfelt at risk in their work. One said that shehad been repeatedly threatened by a brothelowner, who refused access to his sex workers;another had been involved in a motorbike accidentwhile taking a patient to hospital; anotherhad contracted TB since joining the programme.To address these issues, theVolunteers requested a basic package of healthcover from the programme.• are trusted by the community and havegood access to local authorities, pagodas,phum leaders etc"We take risks to take care of patients; sometimeswe are exposed to dangers; we need some protection"[Female Home Care Volunteer, Phnom Penh]• often know about, and are able to developlinks with other community level initiatives,such as micro-credit and food distributionprogrammesWhen asked why they continued to work asvolunteers, despite the low remuneration andthe perceived risks, their responses wereunequivocal:• are well placed to identify and facilitateplacements of orphans within the community"The future of Cambodia is in the hands ofCambodians; we want to help our people"[Female Home Care Volunteer, Phnom Penh]• often have good relationships with traditionalhealers, and are in a good positionto help break down the mutual mistrustwhich sometimes exists between traditionalhealers and orthodox medicalpractitioners"AIDS is a kind of cold war that we need to fight"[Male Home Care Volunteer, Phnom Penh]"If we don't try to prevent AIDS and don't take careof its victims, there is no future for us or our children"[Female Home Care Volunteer, Phnom Penh]The Volunteers also made the valid pointthat, because they live in the community inwhich they work in home care, they are alwayspotentially on call by the community."We are on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week"[Male Home Care Volunteer, Phnom Penh]The Volunteers and the full-time HCTmembers all made a strong case forincreasing the stipend for Volunteers from $12to $20 per month, and for providing a basicpackage of health cover to all Volunteers. Theconsequences of adopting these suggestionshowever, should be carefully considered. Apg 58