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Fr Luis Ruiz SJ, with several years of experience behind him in Macau with the handicapped and mentally ill, was on a visit to leprosy centres in Hunan province in southern China when the

provincial government invited him to set up an HIV/AIDS centre, offering him support if he did so. Nothing daunted, Fr Ruiz took up the challenge with the help of some religious sisters and a

Maryknoll priest, and in April the AIDS Caring Centre was inaugurated in Hongjian, a port situated on the upper Yuan River in Hunan province. The centre is located in the compound of a drug

de-toxification and rehabilitation establishment. Two doctors who have specialised in HIV/AIDS treatment will visit the centre periodically, and will be on call in case of emergencies. Fr Ruiz plans to visit Yunan in May, where he has been called to help a village that has many HIV infected children. [HL40505]

Fr Luis Ruiz SJ, <ruiz@macau.ctm.net>