C yclo drivers have been turned into mobile advertisers as part of the battle

against the spread of AIDS.

The drivers' ruling body, the Cambodian

Conductors Association handed out 600 T-shirts with the slogan "Time to Act"

written in English and "Fight AIDS Now" in Khmer.

The "Time to Act"

slogan is part of an international Aids awareness program, launched by NGOs and

the World Health Organization.

One wag was heard to comment that it would

have been better to act against AIDS by putting on a condom rather than a

T-shirt.

Van Tooch, program assistant of PACT, which printed the shirts,

said: "We chose cyclo-drivers to wear our T-shirts because they drive around

Phnom Penh all day and can disseminate the important information on Aids

awareness."

Other organizations that are involved in the AIDS awareness

program are Concern, Save the Children, Care, PSF, Redd Barna and World Vision.

and there has been considerable Cambodian involvement.

Nop Sotheara from

Redd Barna said: "Education is the first step. Giving the T-shirts with the

message will help people to understand what AIDS is about, then we can start the

second step. At the moment, condoms are not easy for us to buy."

An AIDS

Day sub-committee of NGOs meets monthly to develop the educational project. AIDS

awareness will also be an important part of Women's day on 8 March.

WHO are also launching a birth control program in the near future which will

include the free distribution of contraceptives, among them condoms.