PESHAWAR, Dec 11: The Pakistan National Aids Consortium is likely to extend the tenure of its projects in three NWFP districts.

"The tenure of the projects launched in 2004 is ending this month, but we have asked the authorities concerned to extend it, because they are running successfully," said NWFP Aids Consortium executive director Dr Khizar Hayat.

He said they had been working on a project in six Peshawar-based — three male and three female — religious schools to educate 600 students on prevention, care, stigma and treatment of HIV/Aids.

"Now, we want to get extension in the Rs1.8million project, because it is delivering," he stressed.

Mr Hayat said: “At first students were fearful and were not discussing HIV/Aids, but now they are well aware of its effects and educating others at their homes and localities.”

Another project in Kohat district jail has also helped reduce cases of sodomy, he said.

"We had to register three to four cases of forced sodomy in the jail every week, but now there is none," he claimed.

He said that a prisoner shifted from Kohat to Bannu jail had started the HIV/Aids awareness programme in the prison on his own.

In 2004, the European Commission and the UK Department for International Development funded a project ‘Tameer’ aimed at enhancing the capacity of NGOs and helping them to be effective and enduring partners in the fight against Aids.

The third project was the training and capacity building of youths working in automobile workshops in Takht Bai, Mardan.

"We have enrolled 270 youths Takht Bai and the number is increasing," he said.