Aids Awareness Through Community Participation: An Action Research

AIDS is undoubtedly the most devastating pandemic mankind has ever faced. As a cure remains elusive, the disease continues to propel the evanescence of life. Today, the global community seems to be struggling as the disease rips apart the social and economic fabric of the society by killing people in prime of their youth, rendering millions of children orphans and shattering homes and hopes alike. With remote prospects for a cure/vaccine, the challenge to contain the spread of HIV has become imperative. Although no culture or community is known to be immune to AIDS yet, certain populations are more vulnerable to the disease because of their high-risk behaviours. Also, it is true that certain vulnerable populations have remained either untouched or non-responsive to the ongoing prevention efforts. The book delves in to the lives of some such communities with a modest attempt to create AIDS awareness amongst them. It focuses on documenting high-risk behaviour as well as in delineating factors fuelling them. A concerted effort has been made to understand various issues that can effect desirable behavioural changes in context to HIV/AIDS. The endeavour also envisages to demonstrate how community participation can be effectively used in raising HIV/AIDS awareness as well as in achieving sustainability of the programme. What follows henceforth is a significant transition leading from a state of unawareness.