HIV/AIDS
A meeting with villagers to discus about HIV-AIDS
Manthan had initially conducted a three-month sampling survey in 10 villages in 2003 where meetings with community members were conducted about general health issues and information about HIV-AIDS was provided. Based on this interaction, the villagers informed about those individuals whose showed symptoms such as those for HIV-AIDS. Following up on this information, several families were advised and provided support to test for HIV-AIDS. Two families infected with HIV-AIDS were eventually identified from these villages.
After the sampling survey was finished, the activities were extended to 50 villages. For these 50 villages, a few high-risk groups were identified – migrants workers, wives of migrants workers, labours, wives of labours and part-time sex workers.
A display providing information about transmission of HIV-AIDS
A survey was carried out in all these villages to identify the members of these high risk groups. Detailed information about HIV-AIDS was provided to them by Manthan in easy-to-understand format. Assistance was also provided to them to access useful information from other sources. Camps were conducted where to provide them consultations with doctors and counsellors. Based on these consultations, people were identified who needed to be tested for HIV-AIDS. These people were provided further counselling and tested for HIV-AIDS. Thus, people infected with HIV-AIDS were identified.
Infected people were provided information about how HIV-AIDS is transmitted and how it is not transmitted since they had several misconceptions about it. These people were provided assistance in accessing the relevant medical support in the forms of medicines from the State Government. Monthly meeting with these families are still being conducted where their health issues are discussed, they are provided health check-up, medicines and nutritious supplement. Manthan is also working towards expanding the livelihood opportunities for these people by providing training and support for handicraft activity; and facilitating their participation in self help groups. It is also offering scholarships to children of infected people. Manthan is making efforts to better integrate infected persons with the rest of the society by improve people’s understanding of the disease, dispel their misconceptions about how the infection is transmitted, thus attempting to get rid of the social stigma attached to it.
