Date:06/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/06/stories/2008030651720300.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Red Ribbon Express coming

Staff Reporter

To create HIV/AIDS awareness

It will visit Kakinada and Rajahmundry
It will cover a total of 48 villages also

Kakinada: The Red Ribbon Express, a special train aimed at spreading awareness on HIV/AIDS, will be visiting Kakinada and Rajahmundry from April 19 to 23. A total of 48 villages will also be covered by the train.

The Red Ribbon Express is a collaborative project of the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) and Nehru Yuva Kendra whose objective is to provide a complete communication, counselling, treatment and care package to the targeted population, especially in rural areas with special focus on youth and other vulnerable groups.

District Collector M Subrahmanyam stated in a press release that the Red Ribbon Express will be at Kakinada station from April 19 to 21 and Rajahmundry from April 21 to 23.

Two out of seven bogies of the train will have an exhibition that covers different aspects of HIV/AIDS. Training and awareness classes will be conducted in two bogies, counselling will be given in another bogie and the remaining ones will have cultural troupes explaining the causes and consequences of HIV/AIDS which is threatening to assume pandemic proportions.

The entire process of spreading awareness on HIV/AIDS by the Red Ribbon Express will be documented and mid-course corrections will be made as and when required. An independent team of professionals undertake concurrent evaluations and assess the impact of Red Ribbon Express during its course that covers about 30,000 villages throughout the country in addition to important urban centres.