I’m Always Here: Dara’s Mission to Protect People from HIV – Stories

June 24, 2026

It’s night in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. A mobile van offering HIV testing and other health services sits discreetly on the sting of a park on Koh Pich.
Sok Dara (name modified for privacy reasons) supervises a gaggle of colleagues who use a mobile van to perform field work and comb the realm.

At the van, customers can pick up condoms and HIV tests, in addition to receive details about HIV prevention, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Support team members can even administer rapid finger prick diagnostic tests that concurrently detect HIV and syphilis. If the test result’s reactive, the client can be referred to the clinic for further testing, preferably the following morning.

“We have HIV testing and rapid HIV testing,” Dara says. “We give them a choice. Then they can choose which option is best for them.”

And Dara is personally involved on this matter. His phone number is neatly printed on the side of the mobile van and he’s able to answer calls and messages at any time of the day.

When asked what number of messages he receives per week, he replies: “A lot.”

“I’m always here,” he says with a smile.

Cambodia has made great progress towards ending AIDS due to strong leadership and effective programs, equivalent to the Dara program, designed specifically for those most vulnerable to HIV infection. This month, Cambodia achieved global HIV targets of 95-95-95, becoming the primary country within the Asia-Pacific region to realize this landmark milestone within the fight to finish AIDS. Target values ​​of 95–95–95 mean that 95% of individuals living with HIV know their status, 95% of people that know they’re HIV positive are receiving antiretroviral treatment, and 95% of individuals on treatment have achieved viral suppression.