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Reaching the last mile in prevention of AIDS
TeachAIDS India Trust, an NGO founded by Indian American social activist and lecturer at Stanford University, Dr Piya Sorcar, announced the global launch of TeachAIDS online library with instructional animated multimedia interactive content that can be used by health educators and laypersons for free.
Striving towards a ‘Generation free of AIDS’ by 2030. Celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan and Akkineni Nagarjuna joined hands with NGO TeachAIDS India to promote HIV education in schools, thus striving to reach the last mile in the prevention of the disease. Dr Piya Sorcar, the founder of TeachAIDS talks about her future plans to Askari Jaffer, and how an online platform can make a difference
TeachAIDS India Trust, an NGO founded by Indian American social activist and lecturer at Stanford University, Dr Piya Sorcar, announced the global launch of TeachAIDS online library with instructional animated multimedia interactive content that can be used by health educators and laypersons for free. World AIDS Day is celebrated on December 1 and is dedicated to “Getting to zero” - zero new infections, zero discrimination and zero HIV-related deaths.
Dr Piya Sorcar, the founder of TeachAIDS says, “We have also made 1,00,000 CDs for distribution among state AIDS control societies, schools, hospitals, and counseling centres. We have also tied up with the National Aids Control Organisation and the respective State Aids Control Organizations. The material has been prepared in seven languages - Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Assamese, Odia and English. Each is 20 to 25 minutes long.”
Twenty-two of our country’s celebrated icons including Amitabh Bachchan, Akkineni Nagarjuna, Shabana Azmi, Suhashini Maniratnam, Anushka Shetty, Sudeep, Suriya, Imran Khan and Shruti Hassan have given their voice for the 2D animations to promote HIV prevention among Indian youth.
About TeachAIDS HIV education material, Dr Priya says, “I began the work, which became TeachAIDS in late 2005, and our team has been full-time since spinning out of Stanford in 2009. The idea of education material was born after 5 plus years of research and delivers HIV education software to 80 plus countries in collaboration with 250 national and international organisations, NGO’S, governments.”
These online and offline interactive materials are available for free download are “We hope people will utilise this content not just to empower themselves but others as well,” Dr Piya added. Further, when asked the question - why India? She answered, “Because India is the third largest country which is infected in the world. It is South Africa, Nigeria and then India. And the other reason is that I am an Indian.”
Investments and funding are the major issues to run an NGO, but Dr Priya says it is different for her, “Despite heavy investment in research, TeachAIDS makes all its materials available at no cost, thanks to its corporate sponsors and donors, including Stanford University, UNICEF Mahindra & Mahindra, among others.”
Dr Priya hopes that public health and medical professionals, patient advocates and activists will use their platform to draw widespread attention to the epidemic by making use of the extensive tools created to increase knowledge levels about HIV education. TeachAIDS is optimistic about building and nurturing partnerships as it moves forward to support and participate in the globally shared goals for zero new infections.
