The Hindu : New Delhi News : Street kids to highlight AIDS issues

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 16, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Street kids to highlight AIDS issues

By Bindu Shajan Perappadan

NEW DELHI, JAN. 15. Next month when the Union Ministry for Health and Family Welfare rolls out its mega initiative to spread awareness about HIV/AIDS in the form of four trains starting from four corners of the country and culminating at the centre of India in Nagpur, it would be carrying with it a unique effort from the Capital.

Aboard the `Red Ribbon Express' would be a gift created by a group of 50-odd handpicked street children highlighting various issues pertaining to HIV/AIDS. What the street children of Delhi would be gifting to lakhs of children and adults across the country would be a chance to see "comic strips" created by them at a three-day workshop organised by Plan International (India) in association with World Comics (India). The workshop, which ended here on Friday, offers a glimpse of what their understanding of the ailment is.

The children have been drawn from two organisations -- Project Concern International and Community Aid Sponsorship Programme (CASP) -- the children created comic strips on four themes -- transmission, positive living, stigma and discrimination and awareness about HIV/AIDS.

Their work is expected to give pointers to the various organisations working at forming policies and strategies to combat the ailment and understand the disease better. "The Red Ribbon Express endeavours to create awareness on the issue of HIV/AIDS among the rural masses and I will ensure that the comics made by the children here will also be part of this travelling awareness-on-wheels train," said the UNICEF communication officer, Augustine Valiath, after seeing the comics displayed at Gandhi Darshan.

Sharing his experience, 17-year-old Ashok Sharma from Wazirabad said he made three comics at the workshop one on mother-to-child transmission, the second on spreading of AIDS through the use of the same needle and the third one on the precautions to be taken when a person is HIV positive.

"Through comics, I wanted to give the message that not having illicit relations, use of condoms and having safe sex are ways by which you could avoid getting the HIV infection," he said. "All children have come up with excellent stories. It was enjoyable working with them as they have a fresh mind and are able to come up with vivid illustrations that project various aspects of the issue," said Sharad Sharma of World Comics (India.). "We will have a follow-up session with the children and ensure that they put to use the skills they have picked up during the workshop," he added.

Also present on the occasion were members of the Non-Government Organisation Forum for street and working children and president of the Delhi Network of Positive People, Loan Gongle, who called upon the children to campaign for the issue including the fact that there is no medicine for children affected with HIV/AIDS.

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