Honoring the life of a social worker in the yearly years of the AIDS epidemic

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum Members,

As time passes, it is important to acknowledge the struggles of those

involved in the early years of the battle against AIDS in India—much

like the National Institutes of Health now honors the work of western

researchers by gathering oral histories in which they recollect their

roles in discovering the cause of the illness.

Lives in Focus (www.livesinfocus.org) here presents an audio podcast

of Ashok Rau, a member of India's Technical Resource Group on Legal

and Ethical Issues of HIV/AIDS and of the National AIDS committee,

recalling his life as a social worker caring for HIV positive people

at a time when few acknowledged their existence. Rau is also a

co-founder and executive trustee of the Freedom Foundation, a care and

support center.

About Lives in Focus (http://www.livesinfocus.org/): Lives in Focus is

a website that is documenting the lives of Indians affected by the

AIDS epidemic and the challenges that stigmatized AIDS patients face

in India. The website also interviews activists and doctors struggling

to fight the epidemic.

The project uses video, audio and photographs to present the voices of

those who are rarely given space or time in traditional news media.

--

Sandeep Junnarkar

Editorial Director

Lives in Focus: A lens on life in the margins

http://www.livesinfocus.org/