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September 2005 - February 2006 |
HIV in India
Since the detection of the first HIV case in India in 1986, there has been a steady increase in the number of cases detected. Initially HIV infection was seen among groups demonstrating high-risk behaviour: sex workers, truckers, injecting drug users, migrant labourers and homosexual men. Now there is increasing evidence that HIV cases are growing across virtually all sections of the population.
Development institutions are feeling the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on their work, not only as a challenge to human health, but also poverty reduction, human development and the promotion of human rights.
Factors influencing the spread of HIV in India
- High prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases
- Population mobility
- Low awareness
- Limited health education and training
- Low personal protection through condoms
Street performances
Street plays work to address the factors above, and limit the spread and stigma of HIV/AIDS. The plays reach the rural audience in the district of South 24 Parganas with a mass appeal not seen with other communication forms.
Mass appeal via an accessible medium
- Short plays with minimal props
- Performed at busy thoroughfares (taxi stands, urban slums) for large, diverse audiences
- Audience interaction with the artists through a Q & A session after performances
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Information provision
- Basic facts about HIV/AIDS
- Need for early detection thorough voluntary counselling and testing centres
- Adopting safer sexual practices
- Care and support for people living with HIV
- Highlights local existing services (by CINI and government) available to the community
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Stigma reduction
- Correcting misconceptions about modes of HIV transmission
- Challenging assumptions about the lifestyle of people living with HIV/AIDS
- Common forum for awareness of HIV/AIDS with both HIV positive and negative actors
Empowering positive people
- Self advocating for their rights
- Source of income to sustain themselves and families
- Strengthen self esteem and self confidence
- Reduce fear of rejection and eviction from home
The drama group
The drama group consists of 3 HIV positive and 3 negative members. The group are beneficiaries of the Care and Support programme in the areas where CINI has HIV programmes.
The programme of street plays was implemented in areas with high out-migration rates (to high prevalent areas like Mumbai and the Middle East), high presence of red light pockets, and bus and auto stands. The group also performed at Melas (local fairs) to target a wider population, reaching approximately 3,700 people across 29 locations. |
The Group (one member was absent the day the photo was taken) |
Feedback has requested more performances, particularly in areas where women missed performances due to work, hesitation or large numbers of male audience members. Women also often felt hesitant to ask questions or take referral slips for voluntary testing.
The group were trained by a professional drama director and the script features input from the performers, to enrich the content by dramatising real life situations.
- What is the performance about?
The final script focused on the routes of transmission, the care and support needed by HIV/AIDS sufferers, positive living for people affected, and information on health services available.
During the performance, there is a distribution of leaflets outlining the importance of blood testing, and referral slips for testing at the CINI centre. Condoms were also handed out after the audience Q & A session.
Areas for Improvement
- Access female members of the community more effectively
- Follow-up plays
- Alternative drama group to support current group, in case of illness or exhaustion
- New scripts to engage actors and the community
- Increased project timeline to create proper assessment procedures
- Prior need-assessment before implementing field activities
- Increased number of training workshops to improve dramatic skills
Overall it has been a positive experience, increasing the interest level of the young population and women regarding different aspects of HIV/AIDS. People are subsequently attending voluntary counselling and testing after using the referral slips distributed following street plays, hearing about the centres from an audience member, or by getting information from leaflets distributed after the street plays.
See here for a printable version of this report (Word document)
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