E-Paper
Andhra ropes in barbers to spread AIDS message
Come Dec 24, saloons in Hyderabad will stock condoms. They will be given away free to willing customers.
Next time you are in Hyderabad and decide to have a haircut, the barber may present you a complimentary condom.
As you settle down for a haircut or a shave, the hairdresser may strike up a conversation, telling the story of a man who got a little careless and is today repenting having contracted AIDS. Then he may tell you that the disease has no cure and the only thing that can make a difference between life and death is a condom.
Come December 24, a thousand saloons in the state capital will stock condoms. They will be given away free to willing customers. The condoms will be supplied free of cost to the saloons by the Andhra Pradesh State AIDS Control Society (APSACS).
The APSACS will soon start training barbers/hairdressers in batches. They will be imparted a basic knowledge of HIV/AIDS and of the steps to be taken to prevent the same.
Experts are being hired to train them to improve their conversational skills. They will also be taught how to bring up the topic with clients through the use of real-life stories or anecdotes. A manual for the barbers has also been prepared.
The APSACS will supply a kit to each saloon consisting of the basic tools of the trade, besides five boxes of condoms. The condoms will be replenished periodically by volunteers of an NGO involved in the project.
"Barbers are excellent communicators and generally enjoy the trust of their customers," said an APSACS official. "We will use this traditional trust to push through the condom idea."
The APSACS conducted a study which showed that on an average, a person spent half-an-hour with his barber during each visit. It was the time when the customer was quite relaxed and free from any other preoccupation.
"This is the best time to home in the message," the APSACS official added. The APSACS has plans to extend the scheme to 50,000 barbers all over the state during the next one year. Each saloon will also be supplied an AIDS calendar for display.
