They are the harbingers of hope, peace and development in this small hamlet Majhaulia of Muzaffarpur district. They fought against ignorance, myths, and socio-cultural taboos and broke through the wall of silence to lend voice to the voiceless.
Inevitably,
they ran into barriers. But determined to fight and overcome all odds,
these young Muslim activists of Kalyan Red Ribbon Club (RRC) have today
ushered in a silent revolution in this village. This includes an
outreach strategy to address HIV+ prevention, care and support and
treatment in this vulnerable district.
Talking about sex was virtually taboo in this village, so for young
Muslim girls, mostly in their teens, initiating any discussion on the
issue was to invite controversy. But that is what Amina Khatoon, a
17-year-old girl, has done ever since she was made president of the
70-member RRC. She comes from a poor family and also works as a
part-time dressmaker. April 14, 2009, was a memorable day for Amina when
Nirdesh (an NGO) link worker Kumkum Kumari, formed the Kalyan Red
Ribbon Club (KRRC) at the village with 21 girls. Prior to this, these
girls had never come out in the open without 'purdah' and mingled with
each other freely. The most sensitive and important issue about which
they learnt was the disastrous effect of HIV/AIDS.
"I had to make
a huge effort to make these girls understand the challenge of HIV/AIDS,
particularly in rural areas, as here it becomes more pronounced in view
of stigma and discrimination surrounding HIV, resulting in poor access
to health care, and, above all, infections going undetected or treated
by unqualified practitioners," said Kumkum.
Soon these girls started spreading awareness about prevention and protection from HIV/AIDS
among the rural community. They were also imparted training at various
places, which changed their outlook and provided them a broader vision.
The effort made by these girls was soon recognized by Unicef too. The
girls were then provided a sewing machine and a ceiling fan. Today these
girls, apart from generating social awareness are also learning skills
like stitching, puppet-making, hosiery making etc to make their life
better.
KRRC is constantly expanding its base and now has 70
members, of which 20 are young boys. Sajda, Naznin, Momina, Shaba,
Ruksana, Raksa, Mohd Raja, Aftab... all are enthusiastically involved in
their assignments. The slogan on the walls of Majhaulia reads, "Hum
sabka hai yehi sapna, AIDS-mukt ho Bihar apna."
source: TNN
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