Aids/HIV Awareness

1988

In April 1988, Fazal took up a job as Health Promotion Officer at the Tower Hamlets Health Authority. His job was to promote and educate the community about HIV and Aids. He had to raise awareness and help prevent the disease within the community. He did extremely well and reached the Bengali community successfully. He was promoted. He became the manager of the whole unit of HIV and Aids.

Fazal, aged 36, with Jonathon Lowe running a campaign on HIV/AIDS (1988)

"Videos of Rambo III and Fatal Attractions are being faced with tough competition by enterprising Health Education Officer, Fazal Mahmood, who has produced one of the most popular videos on HIV/AIDS in London's East End."

Health Service Journal, 22 Sept/1988

The video on HIV and Aids was designed to build awareness of the disease amongst the Bengali community. In one shop 1,200 out of the 1,500 members rented the video and learned about HIV and Aids and the ways in which to protect themselves.

He headed all the programmes involved with HIV and Aids. He also became involved in the Department of Health and Health Education Authority, advising them on how to address the community and design the appropriate health education programme. He had the honour of being invited by the World Health Organisation at Switzerland to talk about his work in Tower Hamlets. His work was used as a good example for others. This really showed that everything he had and everything he got involved in was always special.

"I did not do things for the sake of doing it, I did it in the best way I possibly could."

Fazal Mahmood