OneWorld.net (U.S.)

Amidst the clanging of train doors and the honking of trucks passing by, and in the midst of the settling of cement dust so hastily brushed off, over two hundred men, young and old, gathered to learn about HIV/AIDS.

Using song and skit the DISHA team at the Loni Highway Truck Station delivered an important message about awareness, prevention, and control of HIV. The hanging of two DISHA banners, one in English and one in Hindi, set the stage as the presentation began with the distribution of pre-performance questionnaires and red DISHA ribbons to everyone there.

In groups of two or three, the team then proceeded to present skits, illustrating common scenarios that the men could relate to. Each skit was reinforced in between by an explanation of HIV facts and myths. The first portrayed the transmission of HIV through the use of shared needles at a doctor's office. Once contracted, the sick patient visited a local village shaman who "healed" the patient upon receiving money and recommended further patient isolation. This skit portrayed the misconceptions and mismanagement of HIV and HIV patients that is common throughout India.

Another skit covered a subject area, which was well recognized by the crowd at hand. Men working away from home are often introduced to brothels and prostitutes by fellow workers. Due to lack of education or resources, often protection in the form of condoms is not used and thus the virus is spread. These men who may have contracted the virus then return home and unknowingly pass it on to their wives. In addition to these women becoming sick, they may become pregnant and pass HIV on to their children through mother-to-child transmission.

After the skits there was an interactive summarization of the main points about transmission, contraction, symptoms, and prevention followed by a brief question and answer period. The men were also informed about the location and services provided by DISHA on Tadiwala Road.

To end it off post-performance evaluations were handed out to the workers to complete, followed by the distribution of 1250 free condoms. The team was then thanked by a representative of the men there and were then invited into the station for tea and a debriefing. Overall the DISHA team, presentation and topic were all very well received by the men. They showed interest, enthusiasm, and appreciation for the information, in so much as they stopped the trains for two hours to prevent any interruption of the performance. The presentation was a huge success and the DISHA team has been invited back to do more presentations in the future. More