There is no end to the lessons that people living with HIV can teach seemingly more fortunate people – lessons on grit and how life just goes on, no matter what. But they do not mind learning either.
The Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB) on Monday launched a management programme exclusively for people living with HIV (PLHIV).
The premier management institute and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have jointly designed the certificate programme in Leadership and Managerial Proficiency (LAMP). Soon after Orissa Governor Rameshwar Thakur formally launched the programme, the first batch of 100 candidates sat down for their session.
Alka Narang, UNDP’s head of HIV and Development unit, told the Hindustan Times that applications were invited for the first batch of the LAMP programme after collecting data from various state AIDS control societies and from NGOs working on AIDS prevention. The response, she said, was encouraging. The batch has students from Gujarat, Maharastra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.
{{/usCountry}}Alka Narang, UNDP’s head of HIV and Development unit, told the Hindustan Times that applications were invited for the first batch of the LAMP programme after collecting data from various state AIDS control societies and from NGOs working on AIDS prevention. The response, she said, was encouraging. The batch has students from Gujarat, Maharastra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.
{{/usCountry}}"The main objective of the management course is to enhance the managerial skills of people living with HIV in their respective fields and to enable them to manage various activities on prevention of HIV/AIDS in the country," Narang said.
During the six-week programme, the students will go through four weeks of classroom learning and two weeks of field learning.
The criteria for the programme: any person living with HIV who has a bachelor's degree and has a working knowledge of English and the knowledge of critical issues in HIV. The UNDP and XIMB will bear the cost of the programme and that of boarding and lodging.