FOUNDATION

VOICES THAILAND

VOICES-Thailand is a registered non-profit research foundation in Thailand, established in September 2014

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Who We Are

The mission of VOICES-Thailand is to advance HIV prevention and healthcare research with key populations, with a focus on Thailand and the Southeast Asia region. We also promote inclusion of marginalized populations, including LGBTIQ people, in all aspects of society, with a focus on access to healthcare, reducing stigma and discrimination, and empowering individuals to make informed choices to enhance their well-being. We work in collaboration with many community-based organizations, universities, and intergovernmental organizations to produce evidence to support the health and well-being of diverse LGBTIQ communities.

Photo from Andreas Brucker on Unsplash
Photo from Alice on Unsplash

What We Do

Some of our projects and activities include:

  • conducting community based-research on resilience among LGBTIQ youth, and Thai constructions of sexuality and gender
  • training, capacity building and funding for community researchers
  • sharing community reports and information with community organization partners
  • presenting research findings at conferences in Thailand and internationally to disseminate information and research findings to other researchers, communities, and potential funders
  • publications in peer-reviewed journals

    • Our Projects

    • #SafeHandsSafeHearts

      This international, multisite, randomized controlled trial tests the effectiveness of a peer-delivered eHealth intervention in increasing COVID-19 knowledge and protective behaviors (masking, physical distancing, handwashing) and reducing psychological distress during the pandemic. #SafeHandsSafeHearts supports the meaningful engagement of LGBTQ+ and racialized populations in public health responses to COVID-19, and future emergency situations.

    • MFARR-ASIA

      A large partnership with 14 co-investigators and 25 community partners that aims to develop, apply, and monitor macro-level and individual-level indices of LGBTIQ inclusion in Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, and Thailand. MFARR-Asia is developing and collecting evidence on the inclusion and human rights of sexual and gender minority populations through partnerships in Thailand, India, Bangladesh, and Hong Kong SAR. We build on the World Bank/UNDP LGBTI Inclusion Index to examine LGBTIQ+ inclusion in the following domains: political and civic participation, education, family, economic well-being, health, and personal security and violence. MFARR-Asia is conducting scoping reviews of the scholarly and grey literature in each country. Based on the evidence, we are developing benchmarks to understand the current state of inclusion of LGBTIQ+ populations in each country/region; to identify gaps in programs and policies; and to mobilize evidence to accelerate progress moving forward.Funder: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Partnership Grant

      Funder: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Partnership Grant

    • Phi-Nong Project

      The goal of this innovative project is to culturally adapt, implement, and evaluate an evidence-based HIV prevention program with young gay men and young transgender people (16–20-years-old) in Thailand—groups at disproportionately high risk for HIV infection. Results will advance health knowledge and health outcomes for sexual and gender minority adolescents and support a replicable model for young people in the Global South who are highly impacted by HIV.

      Funder: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Project Grant

    • Resilience

      A research study that aims to build theory on resilience, centered on the experiences of sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) in Thailand; to de-center conceptualizations and approaches to normative ‘LGBTIQ development’ that largely emerge from the Global North; and, to generate theory and practices that affirm and support quality of life and social inclusion for diverse SGMY in and from the Global South.

      Funder: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Insight Grant

    • Project VOICES: Vaccine Hesitancy

      Project VOICES builds on scholarship at the forefront of VH by applying innovations in theoretical framing and state-of-the-art methods to promote Covid-19 vaccine confidence, informed decision-making, and vaccine uptake among racialized sexual and gender minority populations—among the most marginalized communities in Canada.

      Funder: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Operating Grant

    Our Partners