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BATTAMBANGPILOT PROJECTlonger-standing community relationships.During our limited visit, the evaluation teamobserved neighbours visiting patients and providingfood and care."Since the home care team started visiting meevery week, I want to keep on living. The communitytakes care of me and visits me more than before"[PLHA, Kansai Banteay]"My family now eats with me since the home care teamcounselled them and explained how HIV is transmitted"[PLHA, Kear 3]As part of the evaluation, 7 ex-patients fromthe suspended home-care team (BWAP) weretraced and followed-up to evaluate what changeshad occurred since the home care services hadbeen discontinued some 4 months ago.It was clear that the BWAP home-care serviceswere badly missed by all the ex-patients visited.Five of the seven ex-patients said their physicalheath had deteriorated badly; they complained ofrecurrent fever, diarrhoea and skin problems.When asked what they missed most about thehome care visits, medication and psychologicalsupport were most frequently mentioned.Community Links 6.3Because of the long distances involved, theHCT relies quite heavily on community organisationsto provide support to PLHA. Whereverpossible, the HCT tries to work with existingorganisations, but have themselves established12 community support organisations wherenone previously existed. Unlike Phnom Penh,where a number of PLHA live alone, almost allthe rural PLHA have caregivers.The Home Care Team has established goodrelations with community leaders in the 9Communes in which they operate. As part of theevaluation, the Evaluation Team conducted afocus group discussion with 14 communityleaders representing all 7 villages in Ko KohCommune. This group consisted of VillageHeadmen and Village Association Leaders.The Home Care Team presently works in 5 ofthese 7 villages. The discussion with the communityleaders highlighted the impact made bythe HCT in the 5 villages in which they operate,compared with the remaining 2 villages. Theleaders from the 5 villages visited by the HCTsnoted that the HCT takes care of PLHA, butmore importantly, have taught and encouragedthe community to care and support the patients."They are helping us to help each other. I thank thegods that they have come to our village"[Village Headman, Ko Koh]The community leaders emphasised that theHCT activities converge with other communitylevelsupport activities, and help to relieve someof the burden of the community, improve healthand reduce discrimination against PLHA."Their education work they do is important for thehealth of our village. The patients are waiting (for theHCT). Before, we felt that people with AIDS wereevil and deserved to die. Now we talk together, sittogether, play cards together"[Village Headman, Ko Koh]pg 63