Strengthening Kapul Champions

Strengthening Kapul Champions

Health Equity Matters played a key role in the development of Kapul Champions, the national network for men of diverse sexualities and transgender people in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

Launched in November 2012, the network advocates for the right to health services s for men of diverse sexualities and transgender people in PNG and also for these people to engages in the development of national HIV policies and programs.

Health Equity Matters supported the organisational development, governance and strategic planning of Kapul Champions.

Kapul Champions has initiated a range of community development activities. These include community forums, health promotion campaigns (including the “Walk With Me, Together We Are PNG” and “Live Your Life” campaigns), media workshops, legal literacy training and policy engagement. Most notably Kapul Champions submitted to the UN Universal Periodic Review for PNG, which focused on human rights and the need to remove sections of the criminal code on sexual relations between consenting adults of the same sex, and the need for gender recognition for transgender people in PNG.