HIV AWARENESS IN INDIA

PERAMBALUR EDUCATION AND PREVENTION PROGRAM

Our 2005 team of HIV outreach workers

A manuscript describing this program has been published recently in 2008 in the journal "Human Resources for Health", and can be downloaded from here: http://www.human-resources-health.com/content/6/1/6

How did these HIV programs start?

In January-February 2001, our secretary Dr. Koen Van Rompay spent several weeks in the rural villages of READ. He had amazing, but also shocking experiences when he realized the low level of HIV awareness. Together with the help of his friends, he decided to embark on a mission to raise more HIV awareness in a number of these villages.

For a short summary of these HIV programs at READ from 2001 through 2004, you can read the article entitled "Motor-biking through rural India on an HIV mission", (click here to open or download the pdf file) published in the November 2004 issue of the journal "AIDS".
You must have Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader to view the downloadable files. If you do not already have Acrobat, please download it for free from Adobe first.

To read a more detailed story, please (click here to open).

The Perambalur Education and Prevention Program (January to December 2005)

In 2004, the team of experts of READ and Sahaya International, in particular Mr. D. Selvam, Dr. Purnima Madhivanan, Mirriam Rafiq, Karl Krupp, and Dr. Koen Van Rompay, designed this peer education program for Perambalur District. Thanks to a grant of the Elton John AIDS Foundation (London, UK), this program was launched in January 2005. This program is run by READ and includes other NGO's that are active in Perambalur district, and form the "AIM Network". The program consists of the following components:

Formation of a Community Advisory Board with community leaders from a broad spectrum of backgrounds to supervise and guide the program design and implementation.
Training of 20 NGO field staff as outreach workers with high knowledge on issues including sex, sexuality, HIV/AIDS (prevention, support and care), sexually transmitted infections (STI), counseling, confidentiality and stigma reduction. The outreach workers guide the peer educators and also perform additional HIV awareness programs for community groups.
Training of 100 women self-help groups leaders as peer health educators on HIV/AIDS and STI-related topics . These peer health educators organize many HIV awareness programs for the women self-help groups of their area.
Training of 50 barbers as peer educators on basic HIV and STI issues, disinfection of instruments and condom use.
Development of educational cartoons and materials on HIV/AIDS (click here to download these materials).
Referrals to reliable hospitals and voluntary counseling and testing centers for diagnosis and treatment of STI and HIV, with follow-up counseling and .
A cultural team that performs street theater programs on HIV/AIDS in the villages.
The program is monitored and evaluated by means of daily record-keeping, questionnaires, regular group meetings, and focus-group discussions.

To see many pictures from this program, please click here to open or download the pdf file.
If you like to duplicate this program in your area, we are always happy to share our exeriences in more detail (including our final progress report, prepared in January 2006). Please contact us (kkvanrompay@ucdavis.edu).

Although significant progress has already been made, there is an urgent need for funding to continue these programs, including support and care programs (including orphan programs), and expand them to more villages that are currently not covered

If you want to understand better how many of these HIV-affected families live, please take a moment to look at the audiovisual slide-show (click here to see the slide-show) or the newspaper article (click here to see the article) by Francine Orr, staff photographer of the Los Angeles Times, who visited our programs in July 2006. Most of these photographs were taken in our villages and feature children, some of whom are still looking for sponsorship (click here to learn more about our orphan sponsorship program)

You can help to support these important programs.

If you live in the USA and want to support the activities of READ, you can send donations via Sahaya International (www.sahaya.org).
Sahaya International is a 501(c)3 organization, so your donations are tax-deductible in the USA according to standard IRS rules.
Please (click here) to donate.
Individuals or organizations outside of USA can also send money directly to READ
D. Selvam (Secretary)
READ
1926 Sakthi Vinayagar Street
Vilandai, Andimadam 621-801
Tamil Nadu
INDIA
Phone: +(91)-4331-42583
E-mail: readpen@sancharnet.in