One of the most ambitious AIDS awareness campaigns ever undertaken in India kicks off on December 1, 2004, with the launch of a year-long, 6,000-kilometer "AIDS Walk for Life" that aims to educate millions about the nature of the disease and how they can stop the spread of AIDS.

With financial support from Indian and multinational corporations and foundations, the unprecedented Walk -- whose walkers will include trained AIDS educators -- will follow the entire route of the Golden Quadrilateral Highway, the new transportation artery that forms a diamond around the heart of the country and cuts through 13 states.

Along the way, walkers and support staff will spread awareness of the disease by means of street theater, videos and the distribution of educational materials. They will be accompanied by a health van that will provide general medical care as well as treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS counseling, and referrals for HIV testing. Participants will cover about 20 kilometers per day, sleeping in schools and other public buildings, or camping in tents where no such facilities exist.

A ceremony to kick off the AIDS Walk for Life will be held on the morning of December 1 near Rajghat, the Gandhi memorial in New Delhi. Speakers included (subject to change) Congress Party Leader Sonia Gandhi; Mr. Oscar Fernandes, Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation, and Convener of the Parliamentary Forum on HIV/AIDS; Dr. Anbumani Ramdoss, Minister of Health and Family Welfare; The Right Honorable Hilary Benn, United Kingdom Secretary of State for International Development; Mr. Robert O. Blake, Jr., Charge d'Affaires, American Embassy, New Delhi; Mr. Manoj Pardesi, Vice President of the Indian Network for People Living with HIV/AIDS (INP+); and leading corporates who are providing financial support for the Walk, including Mr. Scott Bayman, President and CEO of General Electric India.

The AIDS Walk is being organized by Project Concern International (PCI)/India, a non-governmental organization (NGO) headquartered in San Diego, CA, that has been fighting the AIDS epidemic in India since 1997. "It's a massive logistical undertaking, but we think the payoff in terms of AIDS awareness could be huge," said Dr. Henry Alderfer, the Country Director of PCI/India. "In a country where many people still know little about the disease, we think this is a dramatic and unique way to spread awareness in parts of India that conventional awareness campaigns haven't reached."

Alderfer noted that Indians have a tradition of walking for causes, citing the famous "Salt March" led by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930 that empowered Indians to seek their Independence, as well as the tradition of political "yatras" that are a feature of every Indian election season.

"With thousands of people infected every day with the AIDS virus in India, this is no ordinary walk -- it truly is a Walk for Life. It will bring together an impressive array of government agencies, business leaders, NGOs, communities and HIV-positive people who will work together to address the AIDS crisis in India. Activities along the route will aim to spread correct information, reduce stigma, and demonstrate that people with HIV can live normal, healthy lives -- if they know their HIV status and get the help they need. HIV-positive people themselves will encourage others to get tested, and if infected, learn how to live positively with the disease and avoid infecting others," said George Guimaraes, President and CEO of Project Concern, who will be participating in the launch of the AIDS Walk.

Scott Bayman, President & CEO, GE India, said, "GE is pleased to be associated with such a noble cause. This is an issue of national priority and we are providing our full support to the AIDS Walk for Life. There is much to be done. Every individual, every company that steps forward will be making invaluable contributions to the cause." General Electric (GE) is a platinum sponsor of the AIDS Walk. In addition, GE Elfun Volunteers, GE's community service organization, is actively participating in the Walk, and the GE Elfun Volunteers will provide assistance in Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Bangalore and Chennai.

PCI officials estimate that the Walk will spread AIDS awareness to at least two million people in the over 300 cities, towns, and villages it will pass through. One focus of the campaign will be truckers and commercial sex workers along the new highway, which is believed to be a significant vector for transmitting the disease. The Walk will also target women, who are particularly vulnerable to contracting HIV/AIDS, and children, who are either infected with the disease or suffer the consequences of having an infected family member. During the course of the year-long campaign, PCI hopes that the media will play an active role in raising AIDS awareness throughout this country of over a billion people, especially among those whom the AIDS Walk is not able to reach directly along the route.

PCI is partnering with numerous other organizations on the AIDS Walk, including the national and state networks of people living with HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS, CARE, Population Services International, Catholic Relief Services, and Save the Children UK, to mention just a few. In addition, PCI has the support of India's National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), which has pledged the full support of the Indian government AIDS program at all levels.

The Walk for Life is being organized at a critical juncture in the AIDS crisis in India, and could potentially change the course of the history of the epidemic by changing attitudes, raising awareness, and mobilizing the necessary support and services to curtail the spread of the disease. The first case of HIV infection diagnosed in India was in Chennai in 1986. Eighteen years later, an estimated 5.1 million Indians are believed to be infected with the HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Within the next year, some experts say, India could overtake South Africa as the country with the highest number of people infected with HIV.

Financial support to date has been provided by an impressive array of corporations and foundations: General Electric (GE), Avahan (part of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation), TATA, Siemens, Airtel, Bechtel, Boeing International, the Gas Authority of India, Ltd. (GAIL), HDFC, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, Reliance, Warburg Pincus, PCS Cullinet, Honeywell, Bharat Forge, KPMG, Jet Airways, HSBC, Bajaj Auto, Motorola, Crompton Greaves, Ballarpur Industries, Larsen & Toubro, International Finance Corp., Mahindra Satyam Computers, Ernst & Young, Orient Fans, ICICI, DeBeers, IDBI, BP Gas, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, DLF, MindTree, Jubilant Organosys, and TravelMate.

Project Concern International is a nonprofit health and development organization headquartered in San Diego that saves lives and builds healthy communities by preventing disease and providing access to clean water and nutritious food. Project Concern International's 800 staff members and 10,000 volunteers operate programs in the United States and 10 other countries that benefit more than three million people each year. Additional information about the Walk and details of sponsorship can be found at http://www.pciindia.org.