The Swedish Red Cross is playing an important role in supporting important humanitarian programmes in South Asia. For Health and Care, their support is the backbone for programmes such as the HIV/AIDS initiative that is poised to be one of the bigger activities of the Red Cross Red Crescent in the region.

In Kabul, Afghanistan, almost half (47 per cent) of students in a path-breaking survey by the Afghanistan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) believed that those living with HIV or AIDS should be given respect and love. But, 53 per cent stated that HIV positive people should be isolated from the community - a notion corroborated by teacher and parent focus group participants. This survey was conducted by the South Asia Regional Delegation. Students from 27 high schools in Kabul provided responses to anonymous questionnaires during November 2007.

The survey revealed that there is a very basic awareness about HIV/AIDS -- 91.8 per cent of students had heard of HIV/AIDS. However, they were dangerous misconceptions about the routes of transmission across all groups (students, teachers, parents and health care workers) - with less than 32 per cent making correct choices on transmission questions. Alarmingly, many students do not know how to behave towards someone infected with HIV/AIDS. A large segment, 39 per cent, believed that these people should not be allowed to go to school or work.

The descriptive cross-sectional survey was distributed by trained surveyors in three districts with a total population of 19,774 students between ages 15-24 with 570 participants. Two student focus group per district - one male and one female - were held to ask basic HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitude questions. One focus group per district for teachers and parents, respectively, were also held. Eleven health facilities were visited to evaluate, through questions and an observational check-list the level of youth-friendliness of services provided by each facility.

"This survey was a great effort, especially because it had to be concluded before schools closed for the winter," informed Dr Fatima Nasir, ARCS HIV Coordinator. The ARCS is planning to implement an HIV/AIDS prevention program targeting school age adolescents of Kabul through a life-skills based youth peer education. The survey was conducted to get some base line information among the target population about HIV/AIDS/STIs knowledge and attitude.

While the ARCS has signed MoUs with MoPH and MoE, it now intends to step up is HIV/AIDS program. Abdul Ghani Kazimi, Secretary General of the ARCS, stated that the society would begin to contribute funds to augment the financial support received from donors and partner national societies.

Pitambar Aryal, the International Federation's health delegate in Kabul, feels that "we now have accurate knowledge about the level of misinformation and information gaps at various levels of Afghan society and this will enable us to tailor our future program accordingly."