Imphal, September 19, 2010: "Its good that the education of my grand child has been insured.

Its like a heavy load taken from my head", said grandmother of Thoibi (name changed on request), a HIV affected child who has also lost both his parents to the disease.

Thoibi is 11 years old today and she is studying in class III in a private school.

Looking at her grandchild, the grandmother said, "How can an aged woman like me take the responsibility of educating my grandchild ? Yet she needs to be educated properly".

It has been declared that education is the birthright of every child and The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act has been implemented in the country to ensure this right.

Along with that, the Government of India has taken up special programmes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan to ensure education of every child in the country.

However, whether every eligible child is getting this right or not is altogether another story.

On top of this, the Govt has not taken up any specific programme to ensure education of children who have been either infected or affected by HIV and lost their parents to the disease.

Yet to ensure health and education of the HIV infected/affected orphans and help them lead a normal life like any other normal child, 93 children selected from every districts of Manipur under the mission of 'Education Support for Children Living with HIV and affected by the pandemic have been admitted to different schools.

Thoibi is one such selected students under this mission.

After both her parents passed away, Thoibi's health deteriorated on account of various opportunistic infections.

As a result, she had to stop going to school for about a year.

Today, her health has considerably improved and she has started attending classes again.

In the first examination of her school, she is among the top 10 rankers.

The mission of Education support for children living with HIV and affected by the pandemic, is being implemented in Manipur with the active responsibility and participation of Manipur Network of Positive People (MNP+).

So far, in all 93 children selected from various districts of Manipur including 15 from Bishnupur, 11 from Imphal West, 14 from Imphal East, three from Tamenglong and 10 each from Ukhrul, Senapati, Thoubal, Churachandpur and Chandel district are pursuing studies under this mission.

Thoibi said, "I like to attend classes and I go to school every day with one of my friends either on rickshaw or by foot.

I want to study hard and become a doctor".

Just like Thoibi, every child has ambition and hope.

In order to give wing to the hope of these children, the mission was launched in Manipur for the first time in 2009 along with ensuring education of 44 children.

In the current year, another 49 children have been admitted to school.

Under the mission, selected children are not only admitted to the school free of cost, but their monthly tuition fee, requisite exercise books and text books are also taken care of.

They are also provided with necessary treatment from time to time and other health check up facilities.

Interacting with The Sangai Express, convenor of the mission Maisnam Jhalajit said that there are around 6500 HIV infected/affected children in Manipur today.

Among them, there are many who could not go to school though they like to study.

Many of these children also have no access to the benefits of the projects being taken up with external funding.

So, this mission has been launched keeping in mind such marginalised and deprived children.

Jhalajit further explained that the implementation of the mission has been made possible from the contributions made by various individuals, commercial units and organisations at their level best.

Upto now, 97 philanthropists have been extending support to the mission.

He said that the main objective of the mission is to increase number of philanthropists so that more and more HIV infected/affected orphans can attend school.

Because education of the HIV infected/affected children in our society today should be responsibility of every one in the society.

Without proper guidance and education, these children may go astray and we cannot wait for the external funding projects to look after the needs of these young children.

Moreover, external funding projects are time bound.

So, the Government needs to take up special programmes in this regard.

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