A cycle rally to create awareness on children affected with HIV/AIDS was flagged off by the District Collector R. Ananthakumar here on Thursday.
The rally was organised jointly by Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society (TANSACS) and The Tamil Nadu Trust for Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (TNTCAA).The rally, with 50 participants, arrived from Coimbatore after covering Karur, Tirupur, Namakkal, Erode and Salem districts.
It will proceed to Chennai via Krishnagiri, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Tirutani and Tiruvallur. The rally will reach Chennai on December 1, World AIDS day.
Dr. N. Ayyanar, Deputy Director, Health Services; Dr. Chellapillai, Superintendent, Government Medical College, Dharmapuri; Nanda Kumar, Nodal Officer, TANSACS; Dr. Vidya, District Programme Manager, DAPCU, were present during the occassion.
The TNTCAA is supporting 74 children from the district to pursue their education. Children studying in Standards I to V were getting Rs. 2,000, Standards VI to IX are getting Rs. 3,000 and those pursuing SSLC, Plus-One and Plus-Two are getting Rs. 5,000.
The participants of the rally will distribute information materials on HIV. They will halt at Periyampatti, Karimangalam before reaching Kaveripattinam.
A total of 1,133 people with HIV and 56 children are receiving free anti-retroviral therapy through the ART centre at the Medical College Hospital.
The TNTCAA Trust that works among the children affected with the dreaded disease has been allotted Rs. 5 crore. Efforts are on to mobilise more funds various organisations.
