Hand in Hand

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum Members,

HIV/AIDS increasingly threatens all of India's people, and more and more

children are becoming victims. Some of these children are HIV positive, and

many have been or soon will be orphaned by AIDS.

It is imperative that all types of social support be strengthened as the

numbers of these children increase. We strongly believe these children can be

integrated into existing child care programs in India.

While AIDS orphans who are not HIV positive do not pose any risk of

transmission, the risk from positive children can be significantly reduced with

the proper use of universal precautions. Nonetheless, many of these children

are victims of unnecessary and unfounded stigma and discrimination, and left

unable to access necessary services.

We have created Hand in Hand — a booklet describing issues involved in the care

of AIDS affected children, as well as innovative initiatives child care

programs throughout India have taken to address them. We hope organizations

can learn from one another as well as network to enhance care for children.

We are sending this email to inquire whether you would like a free copy of this

informative and useful booklet. Also, if you currently do serve these children

or have plans to do so, we would love to hear about your successes and any

suggestions you may have.

We look forward to receiving your reply with your mailing address.

Sincerely,

Arabinda K. Pani and Aarti Kumar

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