Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07NEWDELHI5235
2007-12-07 12:55:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy New Delhi
Cable title:
INDIA LAUNCHES NOVEL HIV/AIDS AWARENESS PROGRAM
how-toVZCZCXRO6343 OO RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHLH RUEHPW DE RUEHNE #5235 3411255 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 071255Z DEC 07 FM AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9596 INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE RUCNNSG/NUCLEAR SUPPLIERS GROUP COLLECTIVE RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC RUEIDN/DNI WASHINGTON DC RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 5759 RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 7410 RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL
UNCLAS NEW DELHI 005235
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KHIV SOCI PREL PGOV IN
SUBJECT: INDIA LAUNCHES NOVEL HIV/AIDS AWARENESS PROGRAM
UNCLAS NEW DELHI 005235
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KHIV SOCI PREL PGOV IN
SUBJECT: INDIA LAUNCHES NOVEL HIV/AIDS AWARENESS PROGRAM
1. (U) On December 1, the GOI commemorated World AIDS day
with the launch of the Red Ribbon Express, a seven-coach
train designed to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS throughout
India and provide education and health services,particurlarly
in areas with low media reach. The train will travel across
India and visit over 43,000 Indian villages spread over 22
states, halting at 180 stations. Congress President Sonia
Gandhi, Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, Health and
Family Welfare Minister Ambumani Ramadoss, and other senior
GOI and international organization officials attended the
event.
2. (U) The world's first AIDS awareness train is a joint
initiative of GOI's National AIDS Control Organization (NACO)
and the Indian Railways Ministry, supported by UNICEF. During
its journey, the Red Ribbon Express will promote HIV
education with a special focus on youth, women and rural
populations. The train is also equipped with a mobile
Counseling unit. At each stop, there will be a series of
on-platform and off-site activities, including street plays
and folk dance performances. Volunteers will travel to
surrounding villages to provide HIV/AIDS education and
promote local HIV/AID services. USG partners have provided
HIV/AIDS materials for this initiative and will be involved
in mobilizing the communities.
3. (U) Speaking at the event, Congress Party President Sonia
Gandhi called India's AIDS problem "a battle that can and
must be won." She highlighted the impact of the disease on
India's working age population -- a group particularly
vulnerable to the disease. Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav
pledged his support for the project and announced that the
GOI would provide another train for this purpose. India's
extensive railway network serves as an effective mechanism to
spread the message of HIV/AIDS prevention, education and
treatment in India's hinterland. In India's growing economy,
an AIDS pandemic would dramatically reduce work force
productivity and efficiency, as employers are forced to hire
and train substitute workers.
4. (U) Comment: India is home to an estimated 2.5 million
HIV-positive people, with 60 percent of them living in rural
areas. The GOI's Red Ribbon Express demonstrates the GOI
commitment to raising awareness of HIV/AIDS. This campaign
will draw attention to HIV/AIDS beyond India's cities as well
as help frame the issue in a broader socio-economic context
-- an important development for India' social and economic
future.
MULFORD
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KHIV SOCI PREL PGOV IN
SUBJECT: INDIA LAUNCHES NOVEL HIV/AIDS AWARENESS PROGRAM
1. (U) On December 1, the GOI commemorated World AIDS day
with the launch of the Red Ribbon Express, a seven-coach
train designed to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS throughout
India and provide education and health services,particurlarly
in areas with low media reach. The train will travel across
India and visit over 43,000 Indian villages spread over 22
states, halting at 180 stations. Congress President Sonia
Gandhi, Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, Health and
Family Welfare Minister Ambumani Ramadoss, and other senior
GOI and international organization officials attended the
event.
2. (U) The world's first AIDS awareness train is a joint
initiative of GOI's National AIDS Control Organization (NACO)
and the Indian Railways Ministry, supported by UNICEF. During
its journey, the Red Ribbon Express will promote HIV
education with a special focus on youth, women and rural
populations. The train is also equipped with a mobile
Counseling unit. At each stop, there will be a series of
on-platform and off-site activities, including street plays
and folk dance performances. Volunteers will travel to
surrounding villages to provide HIV/AIDS education and
promote local HIV/AID services. USG partners have provided
HIV/AIDS materials for this initiative and will be involved
in mobilizing the communities.
3. (U) Speaking at the event, Congress Party President Sonia
Gandhi called India's AIDS problem "a battle that can and
must be won." She highlighted the impact of the disease on
India's working age population -- a group particularly
vulnerable to the disease. Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav
pledged his support for the project and announced that the
GOI would provide another train for this purpose. India's
extensive railway network serves as an effective mechanism to
spread the message of HIV/AIDS prevention, education and
treatment in India's hinterland. In India's growing economy,
an AIDS pandemic would dramatically reduce work force
productivity and efficiency, as employers are forced to hire
and train substitute workers.
4. (U) Comment: India is home to an estimated 2.5 million
HIV-positive people, with 60 percent of them living in rural
areas. The GOI's Red Ribbon Express demonstrates the GOI
commitment to raising awareness of HIV/AIDS. This campaign
will draw attention to HIV/AIDS beyond India's cities as well
as help frame the issue in a broader socio-economic context
-- an important development for India' social and economic
future.
MULFORD