World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day, observed on 1st December, Alliance India takes this opportunity to recognise the champions in HIV response for their exceptional contribution and history of impactful work. In the last few years, we have brought the event in a public arena reaching masses with our messages and giving the mic to community leaders to strengthen their voices.

The World AIDS Day 2018 theme was ‘Know Your Status’. We jumped on the bandwagon with the global theme except that we added our own desi twist to it by naming our event in Hindi Pata Lagao: Test. Support. Prevent. The event was organized on the eve of the World AIDS Day at Palika Parking Park, Connaught Place. The event had dignitaries from NACO, UNAIDS and other development organisations and saw a participation of around 500 members of the general public.

This year, to motivate people to get tested for HIV, we designed a captivating maze structure ‘Herogiri’ where anyone who passes through a maze of questions on their risk to HIV and gets tested, is a hero. More than 300 people took part in the maze and almost 150 got tested for HIV, achieving the purpose of the event successfully.

The Annual Community Leadership Awards were presented to acknowledge the emerging leaders from various communities: men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender and hijra populations (TGH), women in sex work (WISW), people who inject drugs (PWID), and people living with HIV (PLHIV). Our organisation believes in living the mission by felicitation of leaders from the community on such an important day that will encourage emerging leaders to continue the good work.