Kerala - Kottayam   

Bid to help HIV+ children gathers momentum

Staff Reporter

KOTTAYAM: The State AIDS Control Society authorities launched the second phase of the campaign on Tuesday in a bid to bring back to normality the life of the five HIV+ children at Pampady. The children were forced to discontinue studies at an aided lower primary school at Pampady, near here, following objection from parents.

The first week's campaign focussed on two issues. The society organised a campaign among the 55 families who had sent their wards to Mar Dionysius Lower Primary School where the five children were studying, said Manilal, the non-governmental organisation advisor of the society.

The resistance was still evident among the parents. The one-week campaign helped stake-holders examine the issue. It has been found out that only 20 parents had signed the submission seeking the removal of the HIV+ children from the school. In fact, only three of the five students were diagnosed as HIV+, though the other two were residents of Asha Kiran, a centre for the HIV-infected (as their parents were HIV+).

Awareness campaigns

A 60-member team of volunteers drawn from the Kudumbasree units, Health Department and the anganwadis was sensitised and trained to organise door-to-door campaigns to create awareness in all the 19 wards of the village. An emergency meeting of the grama panchayat on Tuesday gave the nod to the second phase of the campaign. The authorities plan to strengthen the campaign, from December 15

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