Project | Genesis

Description	I worked on Genesis as a Development Trainee recruited through the AIESEC Global Internship Program (GIP). I had already been in India for about 2 months working on a rural development project called Vikaas in the north, and had wanted my next project to be in a completely different landscape, tackling a different issue, providing a completely different challenge and experience altogether. Hyderabad, the capital de jure of Andhra Pradesh in the south, and revered as the 2nd largest IT city in the country, ended up being the perfect setting for my new adventure. In 2010, Andhra Pradesh accounted for having the most (reported) cases of HIV in India - a large 20% of the 1.2 billion people in the country, or one adult in every 100 people in the state. Among its districts, Hyderabad had the highest prevalence with over 60,000 reported HIV cases. Illiteracy, poor health, unemployment, migration, non-traditional sex practices and trafficking are the most common causes of its spread. However, the most problematic issue is still the presence of social stigma and discrimination against HIV patients. Fear of being discriminated against and cast aside causes many, otherwise preventable AIDS-related deaths, by averting HIV patients from being properly diagnosed and treated. To address the problem, the objective of Genesis was for interns like myself to conduct research on HIV and AIDS, become a Peer Educator for the youth, and implement an awareness campaign in schools across various levels in Hyderabad. The project, conducted in 6-week cycles lasted 7 years, from 2006 to 2012. Year: 2010 Location: Hyderabad, India Website: www.aiesecindia.com/aids.html

Client Name	AIESEC Hyderabad

Description

I worked on Genesis as a Development Trainee recruited through the AIESEC Global Internship Program (GIP). I had already been in India for about 2 months working on a rural development project called Vikaas in the north, and had wanted my next project to be in a completely different landscape, tackling a different issue, providing a completely different challenge and experience altogether. Hyderabad, the capital de jure of Andhra Pradesh in the south, and revered as the 2nd largest IT city in the country, ended up being the perfect setting for my new adventure.

In 2010, Andhra Pradesh accounted for having the most (reported) cases of HIV in India - a large 20% of the 1.2 billion people in the country, or one adult in every 100 people in the state. Among its districts, Hyderabad had the highest prevalence with over 60,000 reported HIV cases.

Illiteracy, poor health, unemployment, migration, non-traditional sex practices and trafficking are the most common causes of its spread. However, the most problematic issue is still the presence of social stigma and discrimination against HIV patients. Fear of being discriminated against and cast aside causes many, otherwise preventable AIDS-related deaths, by averting HIV patients from being properly diagnosed and treated.

To address the problem, the objective of Genesis was for interns like myself to conduct research on HIV and AIDS, become a Peer Educator for the youth, and implement an awareness campaign in schools across various levels in Hyderabad. The project, conducted in 6-week cycles lasted 7 years, from 2006 to 2012.

Year: 2010 Location: Hyderabad, India Website: www.aiesecindia.com/aids.html

Client Name

AIESEC Hyderabad