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'Wheel of Fortune' AIDS Version Popular

A Christian ministry is getting the facts about AIDS across to high-risk people through a “Wheel of Fortune”-like game in the streets of Bangladesh.

Known as the “Chorki Quiz,” the game attracts prostitutes, drug addicts, students and transport workers in Khulna City in southwestern Bangladesh, reported World Vision recently. WV volunteers are found in railway stations, the river quay, bus stations or campuses – wherever the high-risk groups gather – to entertain while delivering messages about AIDS.

“The goal of the Chorki Quiz competitions – and World Vision’s wider HIV/AIDS project – is to bring about behavior and attitude changes among vulnerable populations,” said Provash Biswas, WV program manager, who adapted this popular game to teach about HIV/AIDS, late last month.

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“We’re also working to strengthen the capacity of local health practitioners to manage AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.”

The rate of AIDS in Bangladesh is low with only an estimated 13,000 having the disease compared to neighboring India where there is an estimated 5.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS, according to the CIA World Factbook. However, UNAIDS warns that the densely populated country of 144 million could face an outbreak of cases unless there is greater awareness of prevention, particularly among high-risk groups.

The Chorki Quiz idea came to WV project manager Provash Biswas during a festival in Khulna. He decided the game could be easily adapted to teach Bangladeshi about AIDS.

“At the beginning we thought we would organize such competitions among students only,” recalled Biswas, reported the World Vision January e-news. “Later we realized that they could be an effective way of building awareness among other target groups — transport drivers, drug addicts and sex workers.”

The Bengali word “Chorki” refers to a round-shaped board that spins like a wheel and is attached to a wooden stand. The wheel contains multiple choice questions about AIDS. Contestants spin the wheel and choose the correct answers. The crowd clap and cheer when the contestants pick the right answers and win small prizes including shampoo, packets of soap, key rings, pens, combs and notebooks. Contestants win better prizes for harder the questions.

“Before my participation in the quiz I heard a little about HIV and AIDS,” said rickshaw-puller and self-confessed drug addict Mohammad Jewel Hossain, according to WV. “I thought it was a bad disease suffered by bad people only.

“After participation in the quiz I received more information on HIV and AIDS. Now I know how it spreads and how it could be prevented.”

World Vision’s HIV and AIDS program in Bangladesh began in 1993, and focuses on prevention education among vulnerable groups, counseling and support for people living with HIV and AIDS, and increasing awareness among the general public.

The humanitarian ministry developed the materials for the Chorki quiz and began organizing public AIDS quiz competitions in March 2005. Besides small prizes, WV also distributes informational materials on HIV/AIDS to participants. In addition to the Chorki quiz, WV is training college students to be volunteer peer educators at their schools.

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