The “AIDS Walk for Life” in Howrah District

[Guest guest]

The “AIDS Walk for Life” in Howrah District

Deulty (Howrah district), August 25, 2005: India’s first cross-country AIDS

awareness generation walk organized by Project Concern International / India

today entered Howrah district of West Bengal. The walkers enjoyed a hearty

welcome ceremony when they entered the district at Nawpala, near Deulty.

As they left East Midnapur district at Kolaghat Bridge, members of the Bengal

Network of Positives, SPARSHA, Nehru Yuva Kendra, Durbar Mahila Samanwaya

Committee and other local NGOs welcomed them into Howrah district and joined

them in their walk. A large crowd greeted the walkers with a shower of petals,

chandan teekas (sandalwood paste applied on the forehead) and blowing of the

sankha (conch shell).

“The gathering of the people beside the roads and their greetings motivate us,

give a mileage to the focus of the walk as well as the walkers”, said Danish, a

Core Member of the Advance Team of the AIDS walkers.

The mobile clinic with the walkers set up camp at Deulty for free treatment

services for sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS related counselling

and testing referrals. Distribution of literature on HIV/AIDS and condoms was an

integral part of the walk.

Some of the people gathered commented that their concept about the disease was

changing slowly. A sex worker said she used condoms regularly with her clients

and said her co-workers should do the same. Others said they wanted to know more

about HIV/AIDS, but the existing myths and misconceptions would take a long time

to be cleared. A cyclist was heard saying: “It’s an American disease, it does

not have any effect in India!”

Earlier, Dr. S. Sahoo, Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health – II, East

Midnapur District, said: “East Midnapur is a vulnerable district with respect to

HIV/AIDS, and the first person with HIV in the district was found in Kolaghat

(the place where the walkers left the district). I think these kind of

initiatives would help increase HIV/AIDS awareness in this area.”

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Note: Subhajit Pakira and Subhadip Roy report on behalf of

Solidarity and Action Against The HIV Infection in India (SAATHII)

This coverage of the walk as it passes through West Bengal comes as SAATHII’s

support towards PCI India’s “AIDS Walk for Life” initiative. SAATHII is also

documenting portions of the walk through West Bengal on video and through

photographs, and will be participating in a variety of HIV/AIDS awareness

generation and advocacy activities in Calcutta, Serampore and Chandannagar to

supplement the walk. SAATHII would like to acknowledge WBSAP & CS, Calcutta, and

Elton AIDS Foundation, London, for funding support towards these

activities.

Pawan Dhall

E-mail: <pawan30@...>