IFSI engages in an HIV prevention outreach program titled "Preventing HIV/AIDS in Asian Communities through Education" (PHACE-pronounced "face") that targets both Asian women and Asian youth.

Asian women and youth are particularly vulnerable to HIV infection. A number of the women and youth of Philadelphia's Asian communities experience poverty related stress factors, including incidence and prevalence of domestic violence, and family disruption, which increase their vulnerability to HIV infection.

This vulnerability comes largely from cultural and language barriers which present formidable challenges to effectively disseminating HIV prevention information. Currently, there is a limited number of Asian women and youth who are trained and involved in HIV prevention and education. With inadequate representation among professionals of the HIV field, misconceptions about HIV transmission persist. Too often, Asian women are not given the information and wherewithal to enable their own help-seeking behavior, leaving them dependent on male partners, family members, or youth who have become more acculturated to their social environment. Some studies have shown that immigrant youth are more likely to worry about getting AIDS, and less likely than U.S. born youth to have done the following: talked to parents about AIDS; know ways of avoiding AIDS; know where to obtain information about AIDS; or know where they can be tested for HIV infection. 

Cultural differences also account for many of the reasons why Asian women and youth are unwilling or unable to access HIV prevention information. For example, Asian refugees and immigrants tend to seek health information and services in cases of emergency. Prevention approaches therefore are difficult to take root in a cultural context where HIV-related topics are perceived as social taboo, and in some cases, vehicles for tempting fate. 

PHACE targets women and youth in Asian communities who are at risk of HIV infection and re-infection. The program emphasizes education, specifically outreach activities, including health fairs and social peer mediated support groups called "house parties."

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