Year-Long AIDS Walk for Life Has Been on the Road Since December 1 st, 2004 Walkers Have Walked Over 6,800 Kilometers through 13 States! Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Other National Leaders Will Pay Tribute to the Walk on December 1 st.
NEW DELHI -- On December 1, 2004, Project Concern International launched one of the most ambitious AIDS awareness campaigns ever undertaken in India, the unprecedented, year-long AIDS Walk for Life. This campaign will culminate exactly one year later, on World AIDS Day 2005 (December 1 st), after educating about two million people about AIDS in over 300 cities, towns and villages in 13 states.
On Thursday, the 30 walkers will complete their remarkable 6,800 kilometer journey in New Delhi, where they started a year ago, after walking continuously for 365 days. They will be welcomed back with a Grand Finale at the Indira Gandhi Stadium that also marks World AIDS Day 2005. Smt. Sonia Gandhi, President of the Indian National Congress Party, is among the many scheduled keynote speakers who will pay tribute to their achievement.
"With thousands of people in India infected every day with the AIDS virus, this has truly been a Walk for Life," says George Guimares, President and CEO of Project Concern International, a non-governmental organization based in San Diego, California. "We salute the walkers for their extraordinary achievement, as well as the scores of volunteers, business leaders, government agencies, partner organizations, communities and HIV-positive people whose time, financial contributions and dedication sustained this successful, far-reaching campaign."
Recruited from villages in North India and trained as AIDS educators by PCI/India, the walkers covered about 20 kilometers each day, undeterred by mosquitoes, monsoon rains and temperatures as high as 49 ˚C. The walkers traversed the heart of India, attracting huge crowds and promoting AIDS awareness through street theater, videos and direct counseling.
"The walkers forged on, day after day, determined to educate as many people as possible about HIV/AIDS," said Henry Alderfer, Country Director for Project Concern International in India. "In a country where so many people still know so little about the disease, the AIDS Walk for Life has been a dramatic and effective way to spread awareness in parts of India where conventional campaigns haven't succeeded or reached yet."
The walkers are currently on the home stretch, in Haryana, just a few days walk from Delhi. On Tuesday, they will be walking from Faridabad to Sarita Vihar; on Wednesday, from Sarita Vihar to Nizammudin; and Thursday, from Nizammuding to the Indira Gandhi Stadium. For details about the location and timings of awareness activities during these three days, contact Project Concern International/India (Ms. Sanchali Roy, mobile 98 180 62145; office 91-11-3099-4227).
The campaign was organized at a critical juncture in India's AIDS crisis. Over 5.1 million Indians are now infected with the virus, according to the National AIDS Control Organization of India (NACO), and large numbers of people still lack basic information about how to protect themselves. If the rate of transmission remains as high as it is today, India will soon have the largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world.
As of November 27th, the AIDS Walk for Life had:
PCI/India partnered with numerous organizations on the AIDS Walk, both governmental and non-governmental, including NACO, the national and state networks for people living with HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS, USAID, CARE, Population Services International, Catholic Relief Services, Family Health International, and Save the Children UK, among others. Financial support for the Walk was provided by a wide array of corporations, foundations, government agencies, and individuals.
"The AIDS Walk for Life has really energized people and created an incredible momentum for future HIV/AIDS efforts in India," said Alderfer, the PCI country director. "Project Concern International and everyone involved will continue to reach out with compassion and urgency, knowing that the Walk was one big step of many along the way."
Project Concern International is a nonprofit health and development organization that saves the lives of children and families by preventing disease and providing access to clean water and nutritious food. Project Concern's 600 staff and 8,000 volunteers operate programs in the United States and 10 developing countries around the world that benefit more than 3 million people each year. It has been working in India since 1997.
There will be a press conference by NACO on Wednesday, November 30 th, at 1:30 p.m. at the Hotel Samrat (conference hall) at which PCI/India will participate to talk about the AIDS Walk for Life and some of the walkers will be available for interviews.
Photos, press clippings, and additional details about the AIDS Walk for Life are available at www.pciindia.org
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