HIV & AIDS Support House (HASH)

HIV & AIDS Support House, Inc. (HASH) was co-founded by two friends, Desi Andrew Ching and Michael P. De Guzman, who met as volunteers of a telephone counseling line on HIV & AIDS in the mid-90s. By 2011, De Guzman has just returned to the country from more than 6 years of living in Cambodia while Ching has been living with HIV for about 4 years. He had been keenly observing and taking note of his (and other MSM PLHIVs) experiences as clients of HIV-related health services. The two agreed that something needed to be done to help improve the situation and promote the well-being of those newly diagnosed with HIV in order to positively affect treatment outcomes. In 2014, the two did a series of consultation meetings with friends and colleagues working in the field of HIV & AIDS and sexual health. They developed the yet unnamed organizations concept paper. A Board of Trustees was convened months later who helped in coming up with the name HASH. In late July, the Board, with the partici...