The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Vijayawada News : Project to tackle AIDS among `group D' staff

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 22, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada

Project to tackle AIDS among `group D' staff

Special Correspondent

Excellent job done by 60 peer personnel , says DRM

PREVENTION: The Vijayawada RDM, J. N. Jagannath (extreme right), interacting with Suneeta Dhar, UNIFEM Project Co-ordinator, Jacob John, Registrar and Vandana Mahajan of UNIFEM, at a meeting in Vijayawada on Thursday. Photo: Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar.

VIJAYAWADA: Spread of AIDS is alarming among `group D' staff - gang men, points men, track men, khalasees and floor workers in different workshops -- of Vijayawada division of the South Central Railway (SCR).

With a view to creating awareness among the railway employees, the UINFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women), has taken up a project across the country. The HIV/AIDS awareness programme was taken up two-and-a-half years ago in Vijayawada division as a pilot project.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), J.N. Jagannath, said that the 60 peer personnel working in the project had done an excellent work which could enhance the levels of awareness among the railway employees, particularly those belonging to the `group D' category. The pilot project was christened after Railway Women Empowerment and AIDS Prevention Society (REAPS).

Apart from the staff, the REAPS was imparting training to their wives on how to educate their husbands to keep themselves away from the dreaded disease. Besides, the women were also taught on how to handle the situation if their spouses contracted the disease.

Mr. Jagannath said that the precautions to avoid AIDS and the essentials to lead a healthy life were being taught in a way that would enlighten the target groups. Door-to-door campaign, pamphlets, seminars, play-lets, skits and other methods were followed to educate the railway employees and their families.

The Asia-Pacific representative of UNIFEM, Sunita Dhar, who is coordinating the programme, said that educating women on the hazardous disease was more important, for they played a crucial role in creating awareness among their respective husbands.

They would also put the things they learnt in the training to practice in an effective manner. Women, whose spouses had fallen prey to the disease, were also taught how to find self-employment avenues and make both ends meet.

REAPS had also conducted programmes on domestic violence, girl trafficking, strength to lead a protected leaf, etc. The UNIFEM's world representative would visit the city on May 7 and address a meeting of the peer counsellors and target groups.

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