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Success
Stories from Our Members in the field
U.S.; India Join
Hands to Fight AIDS Stigma in India, Project
Concern International
 The
stigma of HIV/AIDS in India can be so acute that those with the disease,
often denied access to health care, are forced to suffer in the shadows.
Some hospitals even screen for HIV without the patient's consent,
and then deny basic medical care to those who test positive.
In 1997, a group of courageous
young men with HIV fought back against the illness and the stigma,
forming the Indian Network for People Living with AIDS. With support
from USAID, the American nongovernmental organization Project Concern
International formed a partnership with the Indian group to help them
develop and consolidate a national network.
As a result of this collaboration,
Project Concern has helped the Indian Network for People Living with
AIDS make significant gains by:
Establishing seven state-level
networks and a national office.
Publishing and distributing
booklets on "positive living" and managing opportunistic
infections.
Forming self-help groups
to give HIV-positive people emotional support and information.
Initiating programs for
home-based care and counseling in some areas.
Convincing the Indian
government to consult with those who have contracted HIV/AIDS on effective
strategies for prevention, care and advocacy.
In partnership with Project
Concern International, what started as a small self-help group has
been transformed into a national movement. Americans are a giving
and caring people, particularly when it comes to helping victims
of disease and injustice through effective programs that benefit
democratic allies like India.
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