HIV & AIDS Awareness Seminar for the Gypsy Community in Anurdhapura
19 April 2010
 On 19th April a seminar was held to create HIV & AIDS awareness among the gypsy community at Kudagama, Anuradhapura. Their livelihood keeps these gypsies away from their homes for at least 3 weeks of a month as they travel from town to town. During this time men, women and children indulge in promiscuous behaviour with multiple partners. Most gypsy youth are addicted to drugs as well. As a high risk behaviour group the gypsy community learnt the danger and the consequences they would face due to their lifestyles and behaviour practices. The seminar focused on the dangers of HIV & AIDS, methods of prevention, where to go for a blood check, refraining from taking dangerous drugs and how to look after and protect children from sexual abuse.
A total of 200 adults (parents, both male & female) and 200 youths (males and females) attended this seminar.
This was the first awareness programme held for the gypsy community at Kudagama and the seminar was well received by them. The leader of the community thanked the organizers and requested to have another programme for his youth who are a very vulnerable group to this disease.
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