The Hindu : New Delhi News : Red Ribbon Express trains to create awareness about AIDS

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 10, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Red Ribbon Express trains to create awareness about AIDS

By Bindu Shajan Perappadan

NEW DELHI, JAN. 9. India, with a population of 5-lakh HIV-positive individuals, has the dubious distinction of having the second largest population of HIV-positive persons in the world. However, it certainly does seem to be in a mood to let yet another fear, of the ailment acquiring pandemic proportions, come true.

Come mid-February, the country will be party to one of the largest, multi-sector collaboration campaigns aimed at spreading awareness about HIV/AIDS.

Working on the National AIDS Control Policy of arriving at zero infection rate by the year 2007 and to help people understand that prevention is the key in keeping India safe from HIV/AIDS, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has decided to launch a massive national communication campaign with its unique four Red Ribbon Express.

Delayed by a month, the project that is expected to take to the road by mid-February is a collaborated effort with the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) and will be implemented with inputs from Indian Railways, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan, Department of Culture, Red Cross and youth from the National Service Scheme along with several partners and non-government organisations. Also part of the national campaign, aimed at mainstreaming the issue of HIV/AIDS will be university bodies, students, folk artists and the National Cadet Corps.

"The broad objectives of the Red Ribbon Express would be to provide a complete communication, counselling, treatment and care package to the target population, especially in rural areas with special focus on youth and other vulnerable groups,'' explained advisor, NACO, Bhagbanprakash.

According to officials, four Red Ribbon Express trains would be flagged off from -- Kanyakumari in the south, Jammu in the North, Jaisalmer in the West and Dimapur in the East by mid February -- all of these will end their journey at the centre of the country at Nagpur. Each train is expected to stop at a pre-determined destination, which will be the nodal point for serving and accessing a cluster of pre-identified of villages.

Travelling in the train would be several teams of performers who at these stations will fan-out in different directions with the aim to cover between 10-20 villages. "In all, about 29,000 villages are being expected to be covered and there will be awareness focussed performance in each village. The arrival of train at each of the destination will be accompanied by adequate media publicity with a view to encouraging local participants in the event and to generate traffic towards counselling, treatment and care facilities available in the railway coaches,'' explained director (media) Nehru Yuva Kendra, Chandra Shekhar Pran.

The trains as per the scheduled prepared by NACO is expected to have nearly 100 halts over a period of six months where they will stationed for two days each at the villages and various identified centres.

The four trains will then reach Nagpur, the central point of India each having travelled for six months. The distance travelled by each train will be about 6,000 km and, according to organisers, the campaign's strong points include the fact that it would be able to cover a large population, something that hasn't been done before. Also, economically it will be a low cost campaign as large number of youth volunteers will be participating.

The entire process will be documented and mid-course correction will be made as and when required. An independent team of professionals will also be undertaking concurrent evaluations and impact assessment during the course of the train, so serving the triple purpose of helping us collect data and make amends where required, said Dr. Bhagbanprakash.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi