Community Outreach and education are keys to help in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. The purpose of outreach activity is to spread awareness about the programs for improving HIV/AIDS health information access for patients and the affected community as well as their caregivers and the general public. Emphasis is on providing information or access to health and medical information in a way that is meaningful to the target community. All the medical students posted in Community Medicine department each month with in the Partnering Institutes of APAIDSCON participate in the Outreach activity. The activities carried out by these medical students concentrate on :

• Raising awareness about prevention, treatment, care and social services for HIV/AIDS/STDs, chemical dependency, homelessness, etc.
• Create support for the target populations and communities.
• Provide resources and referrals of available services.
• Educate community in general.
• Provide life saving information and messages.
• Voluntary Blood donation

Outreach Workers disseminate educational/harm reduction materials, referral cards, and explain the mission/purpose of their efforts.
The awareness generation is carried out by:

• Door to door Message dissemination
• Group discussions among the homogenous as well as heterogeneous groups
• Role plays/dramas/Skits/Puppet shows
• Lectures
• Play cards/Flip Charts etc

The basic underlining principle of outreach is: to start where the client is - outside on the streets and in the community!