Education is learning what you didn't even know you didn't know ~ Daniel Boorstin.
A textile worker by profession, Suresh had the knack of striking up a conversation with anyone. Much to the dread of others, his thirst for acquiring and expanding his knowledge through his network of people always excited him the most.
He believed that learning was an eternal process, and there was so much more to learn about in this world.
This insatiable appetite to acquire knowledge and learn new things, led him to the Ambekar Study Circle, a program supported by Avert Society. This group mobilized volunteers from textile factories as participants in training programs on HIV/AIDS.
During such sojourns, the study circle encountered resistance to the idea of discussing HIV/AIDS. In Suresh the study circle officials not only found a willing participant, but also a person who understood the magnitude of the pandemic.
Suresh’s transformation to a participant was not easy. In his first session with the study circle, he was initially cautious and fearful of speaking in public. Suresh was hesitant of what he would say, he was conscious that he may not have all the correct information.
What if people laughed and declared him to be stupid? A quick glance across the room showed seven other anxious faces. Suresh found strength in their misery as well. He sat down to listen to the introduction of a discussion on HIV.
As the trainer spoke, the fear levels in Suresh and the other participants gradually ebbed. Suresh’s enthusiasm at receiving factual and correct information on HIV/AIDS knew no bounds. The trainer went on to educate the participants about the importance of counseling those affected and infected with HIV.
The trainer emphasized the need to provide care and support to victims of HIV. The trainer felt that civil society had a larger role and responsibility in integrating those affected by HIV/AIDS into mainstream society. The trainer’s language spoke volumes about care compassion empathy and the need to eliminate stigma and discrimination among those affected by HIV/AIDS.
The session also focused on the importance of HIV intervention, which converts the existing health strategy into a more inclusive, comprehensive and supportive one for people affected by HIV.
Suresh took advantage of the discussions and question-answer sessions. He had the opportunity of clarifying the lingering doubts in his mind.
He had indeed gained more than he had bargained for. He was brimming with the confidence of knowledge, the power to do something that would secure lives. He had already made up his mind that he would share this valuable knowledge with others. Suresh who once sat in rapt attention – was now raring to go.
Suresh’s mind was awash with ideas on materials like leaflets that would disseminate information.
At the trainers end, there was the quite satisfaction of an effective training program. The Ambekar Study Circle had seen Suresh‘s slow transformation from a participant to a confident emissary for the campaign against HIV/AIDS. The wheels of change had finally begun to turn.
The Ambekar Study Circle went on to find several more individuals like Suresh and have since successfully replicated the Trade Union strategy of Study Circles.
Over the years, over 13,155 laborers have been reached out to, through the project in five areas of Maharashtra.