Following years of civil war, Cambodia's main highways - Nos. 1 and 4 - are now busy with transport trucks full of imported goods heading inland and raw materials ready for export. But the drivers often carry another deadly cargo with them on their trips.

Cambodia's major transportation routes have become a significant conduit for the spread of HIV/AIDS, as drivers in increasing numbers are patronizing the brothels that now line the highways.

In an effort to stem the HIV/AIDS tide, World Vision has developed the Strategic AIDS Reduction (STAR) program. Offered in partnership with People Living With AIDS, health staff and community leaders, among others, the program:

• Educates drivers and sex trade workers and their families about ways to prevent the spread of the infection;
• Offers free, confidential HIV blood testing and counselling; and,
• Provides home-based care, socio-economic support and food provisions for those who test positive.

Keo Sovann, the 33-year-old mother of three young children, is grateful for the STAR 1 program. "The home care team supported me since I first learned I had HIV/AIDS," she says. "They provide medicine which makes me feel better. They provide food for my family. They encourage me."