Batting and Battling HIV/AIDS
By Geeta Bandi-Phillips and Alka Gupta The bat was small and ball was too big, but there was no holding back little Madhu (name changed) as she batted Malcolm Speed’s slow ball straight for a sixer! 9-year-old Madhu was part of a small group of HIV positive children who met Malcolm Speed (Chief Executive Officer of International Cricket Council), Virender Sehwag (Indian cricketer) and Cecilio Adorna (UNICEF India country representative) at the ART Centre in Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital in New Delhi today. Two HIV positive mothers joined the children as well. They played an impromptu cricket match, drew colorful cards for the visitors and were gifted with autographs from Virender Sehwag in return. The delegation has spent a good amount of quality time with children trying to learn about their daily routine and living with HIV. 4 year old Vinod (name changed) drew a face with eyes and a nose but no mouth. “What’s the face going to do... smile or cry?” asked Malcolm Speed. “Smile” came the shy response and gave a big smile to the face that he had made. The smiles and happy faces of the children hid the pain of stigma and discrimination that they face in everyday life due to their HIV status. Keeping the positive children away from the other children is a commonly accepted practice in India. There have been many incidents where children were thrown out of schools and or denied access to life saving health services due to their positive status. Mr. Speed agreed that these are some of the challenges that the partnership of UNICEF, UNAIDS and ICC has address in the global campaign against HIV/AIDS. Currently the partnership is focusing on prevention of the infection among children and adolescents and ending stigma and discrimination faced by HIV positive people. Commenting on the partnership Malcolm Speed said, "Cricket is not all about playing the game and making money. Having a social awareness programme associated with it is not only an excellent way to reach out to the cricket fans but also an uplifting experience for the cricketers as well and puts everything into perspective."
Virender Sehwag added “It is important for every one of us to spend time with HIV children. It is a pleasure to be associated with the cause. When celebrities endorse a noble cause like this, it has more impact.” Cecilio Adorna thanked the ART center staff for taking good care of the children. Additional Information: The ART Center in Kalavati Saran Children’s hospital, New Delhi is one of the best ART centers in India. This centre was inaugurated by Smt. Sonia Gandhi (UPA Chair Person) and Bill Clinton (former president of America) on 30th November 2006. Since then the centre has been serving HIV+ children who come not only from Delhi but from all over North India.
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