Breakthrough HIV Prevention Software to Be Deployed Statewide in Assam
PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwire - September 26, 2012) - TeachAIDS, a nonprofit social venture spun out of Stanford University, today announced that it will be creating new regionally-customized versions of its uniquely effective HIV education software in the Indian state of Assam (population 31 million), in cooperation with the Government of Assam, and supported by a $200,000 investment from global health service leader Cigna.
The Chief Minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi, said, "We are delighted to launch TeachAIDS in Assam. We were very much impressed with the high level of efficacy demonstrated by these materials and are confident that they will make a big difference in our HIV prevention efforts throughout the state."
India has the third-highest number of HIV-infected people in the world, after South Africa and Nigeria. The investment from Cigna will also support the development of regionally-customized TeachAIDS software in the Indian state of Karnataka, where the government has also partnered with TeachAIDS. These versions will supplement others which were launched earlier in Telugu and English, featuring the voices of popular Bollywood stars including Shabana Azmi, Nagarjuna, and Shruti Haasan.
TeachAIDS was also announced today as one of 12 worldwide laureates for the 2012 Tech Awards. TeachAIDS will receive the Microsoft Education Award for its innovative HIV software, particularly for its use in areas where HIV prevention education is banned or inaccessible.
"Although HIV is preventable, millions of children have been orphaned by the virus," said Leslie Zane, Senior Manager of Tech Awards, "We were amazed at how TeachAIDS has been able to break through the taboos, using a rigorous research-based approach, and provide the highest quality education around the world."
Founded in 2000, the Tech Awards have been called the "Nobel Prize of Tech Philanthropy", recognizing technology innovations in education, health, economic development and other areas. Previous laureates include Grameen Foundation, Kiva, MIT OpenCourseWare, and Partners in Health.
About TeachAIDS
Spun out of Stanford in 2009, and recognized as an innovation that would "change the world" by MIT Technology Review, TeachAIDS is a 501(c)(3) social venture that creates breakthrough software to solve persistent problems in HIV prevention around the globe. Backed by organizations including Barclays, Google, Yahoo!, and UNICEF, and used by more than 200 organizations in 70+ countries, with millions of learners, TeachAIDS provides the world's most effective HIV education -- for free.
Contact Information
Supriya Misra
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