Internationally awarded actress and producer Nita Fernando has taken up the task of bringing hope to a section of less cared in our society with her newest project ‘Living with Hope’.

With the objective of bringing a hope to the people living with HIV/AIDS and Abused Children and Women, enable them to enjoy quality life style, Nita who is also the goodwill ambassador of HIV/AIDS in Sri-Lanka has initiated the campaign to give awareness and stop the stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV/AIDS.

Nita Fernando

As an initiative to this generous project, Nita has produced a song on HIV/AIDS and the lyric of the song was written by Vasantha Kumara Kobawaka and music by Jagath Wickramasinghe.

Visuals of the song directed by Senesh Dissanaike Bandara and the voices were rendered by well-known singers like Jagath Wickremasinghe, Deepika Priyadharshini Pieris, Dayan Vitharana, Mariazelle Gunetileke, Dalreen Suby, Nirosha Virajani and Nilukshi Weerasinham.

The song which was released with the launch of ‘Living with Hope’ on the World AIDS Day 2008 on December 1st is performed by Sachini Ayendra, Suresh Gamage, Upeksha. Chula Padmendra, Meneka and Danu together with Nita herself.

The song was dedicated to late Dr. Kamalika Abeyratne who built the association ‘Lanka Plus’ (PLWHIV) with her courage to stand the stigmatization and her courage to come forward with positive attitude.

‘Music is an offering a way of maintaining the rhythm or a support of meditation creating awareness and behaviour change of the prevention of HIV/AIDS and discrimination by the society. This song will convey a condensed format of all the essence and impact of authentic charm’ Nita said speaking to TV Times about her latest venture.

"With this venture we believe that we have taken the first step towards the stigma and discrimination of HIV/AIDS," Yolanda Weerasinghe of Lanka Plus Association and who also had written the English script for the film said.

‘What we want is to convey that people who are addicted with HIV could live a normal life like anyone else. Unfortunately the social stigma has marginalized them by forcing them to run away from this society,’ Yolanda said.

‘This is a very sensitive issue specially in a society like ours. We have to be sympathetic towards those contracted with HIV as they have been socially discriminated,’ she added.

The film titled ‘Living with Hope’ will be directed by Senesh Dissanayake Bandara and it will be played by Chula Padmendra, Sachini Ayendra, Menaka Rajapaksa, Shanthi Lekha and Nadeeka Gunasekara in the stellar cast.

Yolanda's English script is to be translated to Sinhala by Aruna Premaratne, Senesha Bandara. "And for this film we are planning to use technically advanced equipment including 'Red Camera' which is going to be used for the first time" Yolanda said describing the production of the film.

Sri-Lanka Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS has launched a media campaign with corporate celebrities Dian Gomes and Kisu Gomez and with Nita Fernando as Goodwill Ambassadors of HIV/AIDS in Sri-Lanka to give awareness and stop the stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV/AIDS. The campaign is endorsed by National STD/AIDS Control Programme .