TeachAids used in Tibetan refugee camps
In 2011, the Humanitarian Efforts Reaching Out (HERO) organization made it their mission to integrate the TeachAids materials into their nonprofit’s educational and outreach efforts. Using the TeachAids software, HERO hopes to further educate and empower communities and to help reduce behaviors that place Tibetans refugees at risk of infection.
Last year, an interdisciplinary team of healthcare specialists, engineers, scientists, filmmakers, and academic researchers conducted a medical mission in a remote area of Chhattisgarh State, Central India. “We encountered many different infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, Malaria, Typhoid, etc. We were concerned about the lack of information and education regarding these dangerous health issues.” – Julia Williams, President and Founder of HERO
Given the remote location of the Mainpat Tibetan Refugee Camps, HERO believes that community education will have a significant impact on decreasing the incidence of human suffering by empowering residents to make safe behavioral choices thereby decreasing the spread of HIV and other infectious diseases in this region.
Consisting of seven camps, the Mainpat Tibet Refugee Settlement currently has about 2,000 Tibetan refugees with an additional 4,000 patients from the region seeking medical treatment and health education. India currently has the third highest HIV-infected population in the world. However, due to cultural taboos and limited educational materials, many individuals in remote regions lack access to medically accurate HIV and AIDS education. HERO seeks to mitigate this challenge by empowering Tibetan refugees with sound prevention materials to help them make healthy behavioral choices that prevent HIV transmission.
HERO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that aims to provide medical and educational resources to individuals living in regions with high rates of disease and poverty. In order to improve the health status of poverty-stricken areas, the organization provides an integrated health program that offers vaccinations, vitamins, alternative energy sources, solar ovens, dental care, and health education. With their main office in the United States, HERO has initiated health projects in Honduras, Haiti, and India. HERO has incorporated the TeachAids animations into their medical mission’s HIV and AIDS curriculum in an effort to maintain their dedication to conducting humanitarian work in a culturally sensitive and relevant way.
TeachAids applauds the continuing humanitarian efforts of HERO around the world. We support their efforts and look forward to our continued collaboration to educate communities about HIV prevention.