The AIDS Prevention and Control Project (APAC), is administered by Voluntary Health Services (VHS), Chennai, with financial assistance from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), under a bilateral agreement with the Government of India. The overall management and supervision of the Project has been entrusted with the Project Management Committee (PMC) lead by the Secretary - Health and Family Welfare, Government of Tamil Nadu. The Members include the Project Directors of Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society (TNSACS), Pondicherry State AIDS Control Society (PSACS), APAC-VHS, Honorable Secretary of VHS and representatives from NACO and USAID. The quarterly meetings of this committee review and decide upon the award of grants, contracts and other relevant issues pertaining to the various activities of APAC.

APAC Project has been implementing STI/HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Programs in 21 districts of Tamil Nadu since 1992 and in Puducherry (formerly, Pondicherry) from 2002. APAC has successfully completed two phases (1992 - 2007). The Government of India and USAID have extended the APAC Project for a further period of 5 years (2007 - 2012). The range of experiences and expertise available with the organization are profiled as under:

• A Pioneer in implementing Targeted Interventions in the country, APAC is the Technical Resource Group for NACO on Targeted Interventions.

• APAC has developed and manages a network of 55 NGOs implementing Targeted Interventions. The program has reached 27,000 FSWs, 25,000 Migrants, 45,000 Youth, 5,50,000 Slum Population and 6,00,000 truckers.

• One of the largest cohorts of voluntary peer educators in the world (over 16000) has been created and leveraged for enabling behaviour change among high-risk groups.

• Over 12,000 Non-traditional outlets are involved in selling condoms in the intervention areas.

• The first Behaviour Surveillance Survey (BSS) and the first assessment of Community prevalence of STI/HIV in the country were both conducted by APAC. Since then, BSS has been repeated every year and is today the only study in the country, and perhaps one of the few in the world that have consistently tracked trends in the behavior of high-risk populations over a period of eleven years.

Care, Treatment & Support (Since 2004)

• More than 4500 PLHA have been reached through Community Based Care Programs provided in partnership with 6 NGOs.

• 1500 health care providers have been trained to provide HIV/AIDS management services in both public and private sectors.

• Counseling and testing facilities have been incorporated into 26 prevention programs and five private hospitals. This has enabled the project to provide counseling and testing services for 38,500 individuals.

• Built the capacity of more than 3,500 NGO staff at various levels to take up targeted interventions.

• Created a trained pool of 5,500 Allopathic doctors for managing STI/RTIs in the intervention areas.

• Trained 8,000 Paramedical Staff (nurses, lab technicians, CHWs) on components of HIV/STI .

• Trained 1000 NGO staff on Social Marketing of Condoms.

APAC has worked with Faith based organizations viz. the Catholic Church, Isha foundation of Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev for prevention, care and treatment programs. The CBCI policy on HIV/AIDS was operationalised in 17 catholic dioceses in the state of Tamil Nadu. A Sat sang was conducted by the Sadguru for PLHA. Trade union leaders have been sensitized in two districts of TN and Puducherry. Elected representatives including Panchayat presidents have been involved in the program.

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