DMRC to spread AIDS awareness among migrant workers

New Delhi, Nov 30 (UNI) In a major initiative to generate awareness about the control of HIV/AIDS among migrant workers engaged in its project, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has taken up a two-year -long campaign to educate this vulnerable group about the killer disease.

The HIV/AIDS mitigation programme, which will target 6,000 workers, aims to increase the awareness level and improve the behaviour, attitude and practices of migrant workers. The programme will be taken up at construction sites and worker camps along 13 corridors of Phase-II of the Delhi Metro, a DMRC spokesperson said.

The campaign, which will start in December and is to be implemented by an NGO Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI), will continue up to January 2010 and is likely to benefit thousands of migrant workers, who come to the capital from various states of the country.

As part of the campaign, innovative methods such as street plays, puppet shows, films and small group sessions will be organised on Sundays and holidays at various sites. Posters, pamphlets, calendars containing basic messages on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), list of clinics and counselling centres and condom availability outlets in simple and local languages will be distributed among the workers.

Peer educators will be selected from among the workers (one for every 100 workers) and trained so that they can educate their colleagues. DMRC and contractors' staff will also be sensitised on various aspects of the campaign.

A Technical Advisory Committee comprising officials of DMRC, Delhi State AIDS Control Society, International Labour Organisation, Japan Bank for International Cooperation and General Consultants of DMRC will monitor the activities, and provide necessary technical inputs and direction to the programme.

DMRC carried out a highly-successful HIV/AIDS awareness programme during construction of its Phase-I, which benefited over 3,000 migrant workers.

UNI