Mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in Trichy among women self help groups.

Trichy, 10: June: Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society and Tamil Nadu Corporation for Development of Women, Trichy Unit of Women Development Corporation and local NGOs such as SEVAI, CARD etc in Trichy have been jointly implementing an intervention programme for women in Self-Help Groups. Even though the first HIV case was identified in Chennai, Tamil Nadu and since the Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society continues its fight against HIV/AIDS, TANSACS, NGOs and other Government Departments, civil societies envision a Tamil Nadu where no new individual would acquire the HIV infection, and every person living with HIV/AIDS has access to quality care and lives with dignity and they all believe that Tamil Nadu would be able to halt and reverse the epidemic of HIV very soon. Tamilnadu Government and its NGOs and Departments lay foundation on a quality care-and-support system for persons living with HIV/AIDS. By fostering close collaboration with Non Governmental Organisations, Women self-help groups, Community Based Organisations, positive people’s networks Tamilnadu Government constantly works towards improvement of accessibility and accountability of the services, effective prevention strategies and providing prevention-to-care continuum support for HIV/AIDS affected people. Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society takes continued efforts to ensure that people living with HIV/AIDS have equal access to quality health services. It stands committed to building an enabling environment wherein those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS play a central role in all responses to the epidemic – at state, district and grass root level. TANSACS believes that it is possible to create an environment where human rights are respected and where those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS live a life without stigma and discrimination by evolving strategic responses for combating the HIV/AIDS situation to achieve the vision of a Tamil Nadu: where every pregnant woman living with HIV has the choice to bring an HIV-free baby into the world, where every person has access to Integrated Counselling &  Testing Centres (ICTCs),,  where every person will eventually live a healthy and safe life, supported by technological advances and where every person who is highly vulnerable to HIV is heard and reached out.

The mainstreaming women self help programme in Trichy aims to decrease women’s vulnerability to HIV / AIDS, help women take informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health rights, improve their knowledge on STI and HIV/AIDS, make them aware of the services provided with regard to treatment and testing in the state, and empower them deal with stigma and discrimination issues against people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHAs) in the community. Women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have been reached through a four-tier model of training programme. The ‘PLF-Trainer’ has been selected from the panchayat-level federations (PLF) in every district. She has then been trained by a ‘Master Trainer’. The panchayat-level trainers have, in turn, trained the animators. Finally, the animators train the women in the SHGs.  During the training,   women in the SHGs are given information about their reproductive rights and issues concerning HIV / AIDS and STD through specially designed flip books. The flip books have been prepared in a pictorial form, which gives information to women through a story line. The programme has been coordinated through the Tamil Nadu Non-Governmental Organizations and Volunteers Resource Centre (TNVRC). The existing machinery of the Women’s Development Corporation has been used for monitoring and supervising the programme. TNVRC has also appointed a district coordinator and an accountant for Trichy district.

Ms.Vanitha, SHG coordinator of SEVAI said “SEVAI NGO as directed by TANSAC and TNVRC conducts program for 5000 self help groups in Trichy city, Musiri, Lalgudi, Manikandam, Thiruvarambur, Manachanallur and Andanallur Blocks of Trichy District.

The training programme has been very well received by the women and the feed- back from the programme has been extremely encouraging with outcome of Increase in knowledge of STI, HIV/AIDS and Condom negotiation, Heightened risk perception, Increased care and support for children and women infected with HIV, Acceptance of PLHAs in the community and Increased referrals to ICTC and other services through SHGs”.Mrs. Percy Lal, District Resource person of Trichy District Link Workers program of TANSAC/NACCO/APAC as implemented by SEVAI said ‘mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in Trichy among women self help groups is very supportive to the Link Wokers program too as ‘link worker’ is a concept by which a rank of middle-level health care workers are trained to become the second important line of defence against HIV/AIDS as they are believed to be especially important in rural India to reach out to high-risk groups and vulnerable population with information, knowledge, skills on STI/HIV prevention and risk-reduction. Many of the self help groups members act as volunteers of Link workers programme as the link worker forms a credible bridge between the patient and the doctor, and the patient and society, and helps build a community-centred HIV care model as LWS also aims to increase demand generation, service utilization by strengthening referral linkages and community mobilization to address issues of stigma and discrimination among core group and people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) in the rural areas. The Trichy District Assistant Project officer and the TANSAC nominee visited the training programs conducted in Trichy and also the outcome and involvement of PLF-Allur in this project of mainstreaming women self help programme in HIV/AIDS.Mrs.Mohana Sundaram, SEVAI Project coordinator of Target Intervention program of APAC/TANSAC/NACCO Project mentioned such convergent efforts of TANSAC will definitely achieve zero prevalence of new HIV in Trichy District shortly. Govin