This year, Stop Aids Society is raising money for SPW India, a branch of Student Partnership Wordwide.

Students' Partnership Worldwide (SPW) is an international development charity working in eight countries across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia and was a founding member of the National Stop AIDS Society. The Head office is in London, but the country programmes are run by local people who have a full understanding of their country's situation and culture. SPW emphasises sustainability and, although the charity incorporates western volunteers, the training and support of local volunteers is seen as vitally important and programmes run with and without western involvement. SPW works in communities for three to five years during which time youth groups, community groups and teachers are trained and developed in order that programmes initiated by volunteers continue to operate after SPW has left the community.

There are 5.1 million people living with HIV in India. The state of Tamil Nadu (where SPW India is based) has the highest rate of HIV infections in the country; consequently awareness education is crucial to this area. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has not caused as many deaths in India as it has in other parts of the world yet it is only a matter of years until it reaches levels comparable to sub-Saharan Africa. Urgent action must be taken to prevent the situation escalating. The rapid spread of AIDS in South Asia is augmented by cultural norms that reinforce gender inequalities and youth disempowerment, compounded in impoverished rural areas by a lack of access to education and health services.

SPW India Peer Educators work with young people in and out-of-school tackling the root causes of the epidemic by addressing issues such as personal hygiene, caste discrimination, retention of girls in school, nutrition and school learning environments as part of their broader HIV prevention efforts. This youth to youth education is at the heart of SPW's methodology. SPW volunteers are trained to use interactive and non-formal teaching methods, such as music, drama and dance, to engage young people in and outside of a school environment. Whole communities are involved in awareness-raising activities, such as large-scale health days and workshops. For example, on World AIDS Day, SPW India Peer Educators organised marches, rallies and street dramas, using Indian folk music, dance and drama to build awareness of HIV and AIDS, and demonstrate the leadership ability of young people. 1200 students walked through five villages and more than 10,000 people participated in the day's events

SPW India has organised 3 primary projects this year:

•  The SPW Ex-Volunteer network: During the time span (November 10th -December 31st) of the proposed project SPW India Ex -VPEs will impart HIV/AIDS education to 30 women self Help groups and 30 school teachers in rural communities in Vellore and Kancheepuram districts in Tamil Nadu, India through meetings and competitions.

•  Youth Empowerment Program (YEP): During the time span (November 15th -December 15th) of the proposed project SPW India VPEs will impart HIV/AIDS education to 42 school students in Vellore and Kancheepuram districts in Tamil Nadu, India through structured class room lessons impacting approximately 30,000 school youth.

•  Youth Empowerment Program - community outreach: SPW India through its intervention aims to reach the rural communities in Vellore District to create awareness about HIV/AIDS and to help young people to fight against it. SPW will empower young people in rural communities to take leadership roles in addressing the pandemic which affects their lives as well as their community. It would enable young people to address them at district, block and local level.