- Actors join thousands of truckers to demonstrate the spirit of ‘Seena Taan Ke’ and strong commitment towards HIV Prevention –

New Delhi, 15 April, 2007: Actors Richard Gere, Sunny Deol and Shilpa Shetty joined more than 4,000 truck drivers as part of ongoing ‘Seena Taan Ke’ campaign at the Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar here today. The campaign by the TCI Foundation - the social arm of Group Transport Corporation of India and the Heroes Project, leading advocacy organization on HIV-AIDS, aims to reduce unsafe sexual practices among the trucking community. It will provide services for treatment of sexually transmitted infections to prevent HIV.

At the event, actors and icons honoured the trucking community for their tremendous service. Bollywood actor Sunny Deol, hero-worshipped by the trucking community across the country owing to his popular film Gadar, exhorted the drivers and helpers to do “whatever it takes” to make their lives safe in every way. He emphasized that they owe it to themselves and to others to make their lives secure and healthy. “Many Hindi film heroes including me have played the role of a truck driver. People see the truck driver as a selfless citizen who travels thousands of miles and takes many risks every day to ensure people get what they need for daily survival.”

Actor and HIV & AIDS ambassador Shilpa Shetty said, “The transport sector has always been such a loyal audience for us in the entertainment industry. We are indebted to you for the work you do. It is wonderful to come together with you in this fight against AIDS.” Also present was popular stand-up comedian Naveen Prabhakar.

Richard Gere, Hollywood actor and Co-Chair of the Heroes Project, said, “Truckers are the backbone and muscle of the Indian commerce. This event highlights their contribution as well as the importance of partnerships from diverse groups, further strengthening the commitment in the fight against HIV-AIDS.”

Lauding the efforts made by the truckers to fight HIV, Ashok Alexander, Country Director, Avahan India AIDS Initiative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said, “We are inspired by the truckers as they have virtually pioneered this crucial workplace intervention in a sector as vital and large as this.” Parmeshwar Godrej, Co-Chair, Heroes Project, added, “initiatives such as this need to be done on a sustained basis.”

‘Seena Taan Ke’ is a national campaign aimed at instilling in truckers a sense of pride in their work, raising their self-esteem and encouraging them to adopt health-seeking behaviour. Tarun Vij, Project Director, TCIF said, “Seena Taan Ke is a movement which goes beyond HIV & AIDS because it aims to invoke a sense of pride in India’s truckers and recognize their contribution to the nation’s economy.”

Representing the trucking community, Gopal Kumar, truck driver from Chattisgarh, said, “TCIF’s Khushi Clinics set up in different parts of the country have helped raise health consciousness among drivers and helpers. This campaign will further help us strengthen the much-needed sense of pride and personhood.”

In India, the 2-million strong trucking community travels the length and breadth of the country on 66,000 km of national highways transporting more than 60 per cent of the national output. Long absence from home, peer pressure, high stress and difficult working conditions makes them prone to risk behaviour including unsafe sexual practices. Past studies have shown that around 2-11% of the truckers are estimated to be HIV positive and 10-15% of them have at least one sexually transmitted infection (STI).

TCIF’s Project Kavach, funded by AVAHAN, the India AIDS Initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation uses a unique, innovative approach to HIV prevention amongst the mobile trucking population. It provides comprehensive health services including treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) through a program owned network of “Khushi Clinics” across India. Currently, more than 30 medical teams provide medical services at 17 TCIF intervention sites, located at important trucking hubs.

About TCI Foundation (TCIF) – http://tcifindia.org: TCI Foundation, the social arm of Group TCI (India’s largest surface transport organisation), has been implementing Project Kavach, an HIV/AIDs prevention program for long distance truck drivers and helpers since December 2003 under grant from Avahan, the India AIDs Initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It has a unique and innovative approach to HIV prevention amongst the mobile trucking population. The goal of this project is to arrest the spread of HIV among long distance truckers in India.

About Heroes Project – www.heroesprojectindia.org: The Heroes Project is a national initiative targeting the HIV & AIDS epidemic through the reduction of stigma and discrimination through mass media and societal leader programs. A program of Healing the Divide, the project found its beginnings in “A Time for Heroes”, an event held in Mumbai, India in December 2002 that raised funds for pediatric AIDS. The Heroes Project is the largest nongovernmental media campaign garnering nearly fifty-percent of the media exposure on HIV & AIDS in India. The Project has engaged nearly one hundred celebrities and trained nearly five hundred writers and producers in creating HIV & AIDS messaging.