Summer Volunteer Program(SVP)

Every year IAPA implements the Summer Volunteer Program (SVP), to educate the school and University students in Chennai, in scientific facts of HIV/AIDS. Volunteers from the University of Arizona and Arizona State University are recruited, trained for 6 months, before coming to Chennai. In Chennai they remain for 2 months, conducting HIV/AIDS education program to students of educational institutions, together with trained Indian counterparts. In 2011, we were able to teach HIV/AIDS curriculum to more than 6000 students, in the schools and universities in Chennai. Additionally, we also traveled to one of the villages in the southern district of Erode and provided HIV/AIDS education to rural people. (click here to read SVP 2011 Report for more information). During the SVP, the volunteers get a chance to relish the beauty of India, by travelling to far-off places, like the state of Kerala, with its serene backwaters, house boats, temples and elephants. During week-end they go out to explore the sunny city of Chennai and enjoy its South Indian culinary delights, provided in a plethora of restaurants. The SVP provides a lasting impression in the lives of the American Volunteers, making an impact in their perception of life and service to people. Some of them even make it a point to come back again and relive the experience once again.