There are others too, not in the spotlight, who've added their
strength to the cause.
Now, in India, there's the present case of Bency (7) and her brother
Benson (5) who live in Kerala State. Both lost their parents to
AIDS and had been trying to join a school for the past 2 years!
Finally, the Chief Minister of Kerala State, Sri A.K. Antony,
intervened and they've been admitted. But the other parents have
now boycotted the school!
We've emailed our support to Mr Antony at chiefminister@kerala.gov.in
and also emailed the Indian High Commissioner in Canberra asking for our
appeal on the children's behalf to be passed on to the President of India.
You can do the same in whatever country you're in....your
school could contact the Indian Embassy or the Indian High Commission.
Bency and Benson are trying to live with HIV and they want to
go to school. They need to be supported.
APJ. Abdul Kalam
President of India
The President of India responded to Brian Haill on March 13,
2003
"Thank you for your mail. These things reflect the urgent
need for educating the society about the wrong notions that they
maintain in respect of HIV. What is needed is a global campaign
not only to prepare antidotes to HIV but also a positive educational
campaign on a global scale. I am discussing with various teams
necessary action."
You too can go to India, and visit the President's mansion home
by going to the www.presidentofindia.nic.in
website which will also offer you the chance to send him your
own emails in support of the proposals we've also put to him.
Because of the parents' boycott, Bency and Benson were withdrawn
from the school and are now to be educated at home at State expense.
We've argued that they should be allowed to be able to go to school
and to have classmates and that India too should use their experience
as a key AIDS education initiative. We're still hoping for that!
