Jabalpur: Program boosts confidence of kids with HIV

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Program boosts confidence of kids with HIV

June 16, 2009 | JABALPUR, India (UCAN) -- The Church in Madhya Pradesh has

given new hope to 30 children living with HIV/AIDS, many of whom have been

starved of affection and shunned by their local communities.

" I never knew people could care for me so much, " said a 12th-grader, who

attended a special June 13-15 program for them in Bhopal, the state capital. " I

have never had so much affection and companionship in my life, " the 16-year-old

boy told UCA News after the seminar.

The program, designed to build the children's confidence and to remove the

stigma still associated with the disease in many places, involved games, writing

poems, dances and other kinds of entertainment.

" I felt like I was on top of the world, " said the 12th-grader.

The boy lost his father, a truck driver, to AIDS and is now supported by his

mother.

Two other participants, a brother and sister who lost both their parents when

they were infants, said the program gave them a " golden opportunity " to play

games and dance.

The Madhya Pradesh Samaj Seva Sansta, a forum coordinating the social services

of the Catholic Church in the state, organized the program with help from some

NGOs.

The children, 12 of them girls, came from all over the state.

Forum director Father Mathew Vattakuzhy, 64, said the Church wants to remove the

stigma attached to HIV/AIDS and help patients overcome their inferiority

complex.

The priest said that providing the " right perspective to life " was key. The

message for the children was that " they are in no way inferior to anyone and

have all the rights to enjoy their life like other children. "

Most of the program participants were students from government schools, Father

Vattakuzhy said. The priest said he was driven to do more for these children

after learning about their plight.

Vikas Jain, a program coordinator, said the children were receptive and keen to

learn new things. The change in their attitude during the program was " so

palpable and they began to develop confidence, " he told UCA News.

Program organizers had also conducted tours for the children to introduce them

to normal life, Jain said. " Society should not look down upon them but help

them, " he added.

According to the National Aids Control Organization (NACO), a federal body set

up in 1992, India had 2.3 million HIV/AIDS patients in 2007. The first infection

in India was detected in 1986. Among the people living with HIV/AIDS, 39 percent

are women and 3.5 percent are children.

HIV is transmitted in India mainly through heterosexual activities, sex workers

and intravenous drug use. The disease is most prevalent in the southern and

northeastern regions of India. Many children get the virus from their mothers

during birth.

http://www.ucanews.com/2009/06/16/program-boosts-confidence-of-kids-with-hiv/