::ICWO - Indian Community Welfare Organisation::

Smallest AIDS message in Chennai

Introduction:

The HIV/AIDS epidemic is classified as a pandemic – an out break of diseases occurring at dangerously high levels in many locations around the world simultaneously. The first cases were recorded and identified in the United States in 1981 and the problem has intensified exponentially since then. The first Indian cases were documented in Chennai in 1986 and after a relatively slow initial phase, the disease took off in the early 1990s. Recently, India’s population people living with HIV/AIDS passed the 4 million mark, but the epidemic is largely confined to the southern states. TamilNadu has one of the highest rates of infection (Prevalence) in the country. It qualifies as a state of high prevalence because over 5% of high risk populations and over 1% of antenatal clinic attendees test HIV positive. At some sentinel sites as many as 10% of STD patients and 3% of ANC attendees have tested positive. It is estimated that over 25 million people would be infected with this disease by 2010.

Some Quick Status on the Pandemic:

• 41 million HIV infected worldwide
• 16,000 new infections per day in the world
• 4 million HIV infected in India, and second highest in the world
• 52,755 AIDS cases in India, of which 39,137 male and 13,618    female (May 2003)
• India prevalence: 0.8% of general population
• India incidence: 700,000 new HIV infections in 2001
• Modes of HIV transmission for cases reported in 2001
    • 83% sexual contact
    • 4% needle sharing
     • 4% trained blood transfusion
     • 2% MTCT
• 620,000 HIV infections in TamilNadu
• TamilNadu prevalence 1.13% in ANC clinics (2001)
   2.5% at NACO Sentinel Surveillance Sites (1999)
• 21,813 AIDS cases in TN (Apr 2003)

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Background Information about NGOs:

Indian Community Welfare Organisation is a non-profitable, non-governmental, social work organisation working for AIDS prevention, since June 1994. It is registered under section 10 of the Tamil Nadu Society Registration Act 1975. Involved in various types of community based research studies and conducted World AIDS Day programme for the past nine years.

We are working for the children of Sex workers in Chennai aiming to prevent them from becoming a sex worker with the support of Action Aid, Chennai Region. We had organised programs like training on Street play, Puppetry, Yoga & Meditation, Educational Exposure visit, Value-based educational programme, life skill educational programme, Art therapy, Mentoring Centre and initiate forum for the sex workers and their children.

We are working with communities like sex workers and tourists at Mahabalipuram and homosexual men in Chennai. We are also in implementing various exploratory, ethnography research in Tamil Nadu.

Proposed Objectives of the Campaign:

To display smallest AIDS message to attract the attention of media and to disseminate the information on STD/HIV/AIDS.

Justification for the Campaign:

1. It will attract large number of general public.
2. It will attract youth from different schools and colleges.
3. It will implement an innovative plan to display in a place where more number of people visit and to bring in the concept of ‘Look and learn’ concept.
4. It will create an opportunity to participate in the discussion by both genders about the message.

Preliminary Plan executed

The idea of conveying the smallest AIDS message is to attract the attention of media and to disseminate the information on STD/HIV/AIDS. So it was decided to display the message in mustard seed which would be the smallest of all. After discussion, it was decided that in order to create attention the message would be written in nine different grams and dhals which would be called as “Navadhaniam”. More efforts where taken to find an artist to write the message in the small to smallest grams and dhals. Tremendous work was put in by the artist to write the message in the grams and dhals. A magna vision instrument was explored to view the display. The smallest message would be displayed in Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society office, Egmore, Chennai.

The message is written on the Navadhaniam consisting of Groundnut, Urled Dhal, Wheat, Corn, Lobia, Fried gram, Sago, Rice and mustard. The smallest message is written on the mustard seed and it measures to 0.1mm.

Mr. S.Vijaya Kumar, I.A.S. Project Director, TamilNadu State AIDS Control Society will inaugurate the signature campaign at 10.30am on 2nd December 2003.

Downloads:

Report of Fast Cricket SWs.

Report on Football Tournament.

Report on Signature Campaign.

Report on World friendship day.