Global AIDS - India
An Open Letter to the President of India
The Honourable APJ Abdul Kalam,
President of India.
From: Brian Haill,
President,
The Australian AIDS Fund Incorporated,
Melbourne, Australia
29/9/03
Dear President Kalam,
We have been in previous communication with each other in regard to
the plight of the HIV-infected siblings, Benson and Bency of Kollam.
Through the AIDS INDIA e forum, we have now learned of your meeting
with the children and their grandfather in Kochi on Friday and the subsequent
announcement by the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Ms
Sushma Swaraj, concerning their medical treatment expenses and their
schooling.
We in Australia are delighted at your involvement and predict great
things will flow from it in terms of your HIV/AIDS awareness programmes
throughout India.These two young faces of India will do much to battle
the stigma,the discrimination and the dreadfulness loneliness of HIV
and AIDS.
We have asked Ms Swaraj if she might supply us with photographs of her
meeting with the children so that we may carry them on our website in
the hope that this story might also influence other nations.
If there are photographs available of yourself with these children and
any particular comment you might feel inclined to offer us we would
be delighted to publish them on our www.aids.net.au
website which presently carries this story and your previous comments
to us.
I have also included herein the content of our separate email to Ms
Swaraj.
Yours sincerely,
Brian Haill,
President,
The Australian AIDS Fund Inc.
Ms Sushma Swaraj,
Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare,
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,
Government of India,
New Delhi.
Dear Ms Swaraj,
The AIDS-INDIA eforum today carries the wonderful news of your Ministerial
announcement that the public sector unit, Hindustan Latex, will be meeting
the treatment expenses for the HIV-infected siblings,Bency and Benson
for the next five years, and, most vitally too, that the children will
be able to attend regular schooling within the next year.
We have been concerned at the plight of these two children and have
been carrying details of their story on our www.aids.net.au
website, having also appealed to President Kalam on their behalf that
they be allowed to lead a normal life as much as possible, inter-acting
with other children.
We are utterly delighted at your action and applaud your humanity.
It is our belief that the world's children can play a seismic role
in turning around national attitudes concerning discrimination and stigma
with regard to HIV/AIDS. It has happened in Australia...through a young
girl, Eve van Grafhorst....in the United States through the young boy,
Ryan White, and most recently through the bravery of the young South
African boy, Nkosi Johnson.
We understand that you have been photographed meeting with and hugging
the children with the expressed hope that the distribution of such photographs
will assist in India's national awareness campaign to help disperse
discrimination and stigma.
Your very public intervention will be applauded internationally and
is exactly the type and style of inter-action that will confront and
effectively defeat the threat of HIV.
We very much hope that a new life lies ahead for Benson and Bency.
We would be grateful if your Departrment would email us photographs
of yourself with Benson and Bency so that we may publish them on our
website as a tribute to India, and as an encouragement to other nations.
We would also be very pleased to carry ongoing reports of the children
as you may make them available.
We understand that there are many other such children like Benson
and Bency throughout India and we especially applaud your announcement
that a survey will identify their needs to ensure that they may be provided
with anti-viral drugs through the national healthcare system.
The Australian AIDS Fund will also convey its delight at this news to
President Kalam and will invite others around the world to do the same.
He may be emailed at presidentofindia@rb.nic.in
It is a great initiative!
The Australian people very much applauds and welcomes your actions.
Thank you!
Brian Haill,
President,
The Australian AIDS Fund Inc.
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