`Tejaswini' campaign inaugurated

[Guest guest]

Ray of hope for the HIV-positive

The Hindu/Staff Reporter.

`Tejaswini' campaign inaugurated

Thiruvananthapuram: It is not every day that one meets women like

Shafira or Bindu .

They did not wallow in misery or make martyrs out of themselves when

one fine day they discovered that they were HIV-positive. Instead,

they drew courage and strength from their experience and resolved to

fight for the rights of other HIV-positive women like them.

Gritty, enthusiastic, exuding positive energy and confidence, these

women are the torchbearers for `Tejaswini,' a campaign that was

launched by the Kerala State AIDS Control Society and the Kerala

Positive Women's Network to create HIV awareness in the grassroots

and to fight the stigma of the disease.

The programme, which will be implemented in 990 grama panchayats

across the State, was formally inaugurated at Karakulam grama

panchayat on Wednesday.

About 30 HIV-positive women from across the State have come forward

to lead `Tejaswini' campaign, to talk about their HIV-positive status

and to share their life experiences in public forums. Of the one lakh-

odd HIV-positive people in the State, about 40 per cent are women.

Most of them are widows with children, who were left to fend for

themselves and face the ostracism of society, when it was discovered

that their husbands had died of HIV infection. Some enjoy the support

of their families but not every one has been lucky.

" I had the support of my family after my husband died. But the bitter

experiences that many other women had to face in society made me

realise that

I should also try to help them out. Today, I am a full-time HIV-

positive speaker and activist for HIV support groups, " says Shafira

from Thrissur.

_______________________

S.Ajai Kumar

Programme Officer IEC

Kerala SACS

Red Cross Road

Thiruvananthapuram - 35

Kerala

e-mail: <ajai.ksacs@...>