Today On Air with Kenny Jones w/ salute the Red Ribbon Express for completing its one year journey here on December 1st! Bravo for being at the forefront the fight against AIDS & HIV.

One Nation. One Train. One Message. The Red Ribbon Express.

It’s a train that has been traveling through 152 stations and 22 states here in India acting as India’s voice against AIDS. It’s a project conceptualized by the Rajeev Ghandi foundation and they’ve partnered with the National AIDS Control Organization and the Railway Ministry.

Here’s what they’ve been up to for the last year:

• they’ve spread the message of HIV prevention, treatment, care and support to over 80 lakh people.
• they’ve trained over 81,000 district level resource persons on HIV and AIDS
• they’ve counseled over 57,000 people
• and have tested 36,000 people tested for HIV.

They must be doing something right – cuz here’s some interesting statistics coming out of a recent UN-AIDS report:

• India has seen a 50% drop in HIV cases in the last 10 years.
• The HIV rate in India has fallen from 0.4% in 2001 to 0.3% in 2009.
• India is now on course to revers the spread of HIV in the country.

The rest of the world is also doing their part to raise awareness of this devastating disease. In Sydney – U2’s Bono made an appearance as they colored the Harbor Red. In London – Big Ben will bear a red hue tonight. Even the White House is sporting the red ribbon to recognize World AIDS Day. These are just a few of more than 80 iconic landmarks across 13 countries that will be colored red in support of World AIDS Day.

Even Hollywood is showin’ their support. Big names like Alicia Keyes, Justin Timberlake, Kim Kardashian, Lady GaGa & Ryan Seacrest have “ended their digital lives” until the KCA (Keep A Child Alive Foundation) earns 1 mil. So they’ve signed off of facebook, twitter and any other digital medium starting today.

So get out there, sport that red ribbon and show your support for HIV & AIDS prevention!

Spread Awareness – Not Aids!

Wake up On-Air with Kenny Jones – weekdays from 7-11a – exclusively on Radio Indigo 91.9.