Report: SNAPSHOTS FROM RRE EVENT

The crowd at the inauguration of RRE on March 14, 2012

A total of 10,225 people visited the Red Ribbon Express on March 14 & 15, 2012 between 9 am and 6 pm. That was a phenomenal number for an exhibition happening during the week.

MAIN FEATURES OF RED RIBBON EXPRESS

1 & 3. Bollywood Actor Jackie Shroff at RRE & addressing the crowd
2 & 4. Marathi film & TV Actor Sameer Dharmadhikari at RRE

1. The video box constantly playing clips on HIV and the phone booth enlisting the symptoms of HIV and STI were most popular and saw many visitors stop by these counters and gain information about HIV/AIDS. Even with the presence of large crowds thronging the train, visitors got a chance to stop by counters and watch/listen at ease.

1. Students - Scouts & Guides; 2. NCC Youth; 3. College & Nursing Students; 4. Police Officials

2. The latest feature of the RRE was the training coach no. 5, where 3 batches of 60 participants underwent interactive training sessions informing them about HIV/AIDS transmission, prevention and services particularly those available in their own vicinity. A sample of participants from each batch were administered a Pre &Post test questionnaire to assess the impact of the training sessions. The key indicators assessed during this evaluation included knowledge about HIV transmission, prevention and services.

Scenes from the exhibition inside Red Ribbon Express

3. 10 stalls were set up in a line on the platform. Volunteers interacted with visitors, distributing IEC materials and even conducting games with an HIV/AIDS related information quotient.

Dr. (Mrs) Shubha Raul, Former Mayor of Mumbai at RRE

4. Visitors read exhibition boards on the platform; some took notes as they read. The platform exhibition also allowed for visitors to write messages.

Marathi actors Madhura Velankar & Umesh Gupta at RRE

5. 18 street plays were performed near the RRE. Spots like nearby bus stops, hospitals, parking areas and local platforms were chosen as onlookers could easily walk up to the RRE platform since it was in the vicinity. Through these 18 plays, 7 troupes reached out to a total audience of 4801 in the course of 2 days. Through livewire performance, the troupes not only spoke about HIV/AIDS but also urged people to go and visit the RRE that was parked at a short distance from the performance area.

1. Street Play at CST to mobilise crowds; 2. A volunteer ties a red ribbon to a visitor;
3. Actor Sameer Dharmadhikari at a NGO stall; 4. A visitor writes on the graffiti wall

6. Apart from street plays, MDACS also used other means of informing masses about the RRE and encouraging them to visit. Some of these mediums were:

       • Announcements on railway platforms through central railway system.
       • RRE van stationed outside CST announcing about the RRE
       • Celebrity bytes on Radio (FEVER-104 FM) narrating RRE experiences to listeners and urging them to visit the Red Ribbon Express

1. At the video box playing clips; 2. A volunteer explains the model to a Police Official; 3. Visitors read the
information on display; 4. A volunteer explains the testing procedure to a visitor