AIDS Prevention Clinic
How: We trained 35 out-reach workers who will go out and educate many other people in over 13 or more villages
Why: To help prevent the spread of AIDS
Date: Sat 09 June 2007
Location: Cox’s Bazaar, South-East Bangladesh

Please note: WE DO NOT PROMOTE PROMISCUITY OR ADULTERY.

According to statistics presented by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the number of people living with AIDS across the globe has exceeded the 40 million mark. This figure include the young and the old. The disease gradually destroys the body’s immune system and sufferers generally die from secondary illnesses as a result. We thought long and hard about conducting such a project and its benefits. In the end , we decided on doing this for various social reasons.

Regardless of who’s fault (or not) it might be, the fact remains that once you catch AIDS, it affects the lives of that particular person and those around that person too. So for example, if a prostitute is infected, her innocent children and spouse may be at risk from the disease itself, or they may be persecuted by other people if found out. And if they are not diagnosed, then they continue to spread the disease to others. Likewise, an infected , adulterous man, may cross infect his innocent wife and any other women he may sleep with and in the long run, any offspring will end up suffering through being orphaned or becoming AIDS victims themselves .

So after much serious thought, we at Mercy Mankind decided to promote AIDS awareness in order to help the innocent, to make people aware that promiscuity can lead to AIDS and other STDS (sexually transmitted diseases), and to help people in general deal with the disease and its consequences. In the long run, we would like to educate the people about alternatives to prostitution, and also to help people come off drug dependencies as well.

Our short term aims are:
1. To educate people about the harms of promiscuity/ adultery and drug misuse.
2. Demonstrate how it destroys lives, causes death, creates orphans.
3. To teach people about AIDS, how it is caught, how to treat it, how to live with it.
4. Teach people how to help others affected with AIDS

Our long term aims are:
1. To help poor women find alternatives to prostitution.
2. To assist people seek out “Better Lives” , free from drugs and promiscuity.

Cox’s Bazaar (a sea-side resort near a sea-port) is located near the Burmese (Myanmar's) border. One of the popular businesses in this region is deep-sea fishing. Some of these fisherman and traders have helped spread AIDS through their promiscuity. The area is known to be a high risk area for HIV. So the possibility of spreading AIDS and STDS is extremely great and can have a mothballing effect on the fabric of society by creating orphaned children, parents who are ill and unable to care for their families, or by creating social out-casts. Training people to be aware of this deadly disease will help prevent or manage it.

Most people in the adjoining villages are sadly illiterate. So for this difficult project (AIDS and sex are a major taboo subject in Bangladesh) we invited 35 of the brightest men and women who are studying in college to attend our training programme. They in turn will return to over 13 surrounding villages and pass the message on to their peers much like a domino effect. As these dynamic, brave , young individuals grow older, they will hopefully continue to act as a source of knowledge on the topic of AIDS. This way, we believe, the message can be carried further, and be spread to a wider audience in a much shorter time.

The trainees were taught by the esteemed DR P K DAS who is an expert in this field and is also an advisor to another global well known organisation (World vision). The trainess were provided free stationary, lunch and travel expenses.. Some had travelled far to be with us. They were taught about AIDs, its causes, prevention and management.

We extend our sincere thanks to Dr P K Das for his time, and the trainees for their efforts.

Brief Course Summary:

-AIDs, its causes, prevention and management.
-Catching AIDS (4 main ways)
(i)Promiscuity- having many sexual partners
(ii)Drug use (eg sharing infected needles)
(iii)Mother to baby transfer (during pregnancy or at birth or through breastfeeding)
(iv)Receiving contaminated blood during a transfusion, or dental treatment using contaminated instruments etc

This was our first AIDS awareness project and we will try and improve on this in order to develop a robust programme which we can re-deploy elsewhere.

Dr P K Das and some of the trainees.

Taking notes

Listening

Taking notes

(How Aids is Spread,in Bangla)

Preparing Lunch

Lunch followed by more lectures

Participants going home. The man is handing out snacks.

Once again, we would like to thank all the participants and Dr Das for making the journey to see us in this hot, humid weather. We invite you to donate to our organisation so we can train more people and save lives.