I stepped off the bus in Mysore to find myself standing in front of a line of extremely bright, green, wealthy houses along the streets which juxtaposed the extreme poverty that one finds on every street corner of the city. Kids were begging, few were elder siblings taking care of their younger brothers/sisters – it…
An organisation that provides CSR provides material and emotional support to HIV+ people
Nagercoil derives its name from a temple located in the town. With windmills and coconut groves everywhere, it is situated on the coastal side of Kanyakumari, a 20 kms drive alongside the Bay of Bengal. We walked into one of the coconut groves which was a kilometer ahead. There was no road but just a…
How it began at Centre For Social Reconstruction(CSR)
It all started in the year 1974 when Mr. Ram was pursuing his college studies and there was a tussle for the Kanyakumari district between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Unfortunately, the youth of the region were affected the most. When the youth went to Kerala for employment opportunities, the government officials would send them away…
Securing the future of children who have been discriminated against since birth – children with HIV/AIDS
My visit to the Jaipur-based Positive Women’s Network of Rajasthan started at home for orphaned boys. Located in a surprisingly quiet neighbourhood, it stands right next to their second care home, which is the one for girl children. Currently, 35 children (25 boys and 10 girls) between 4-18 years stay at these homes. A majority…
How it began at The Positive Women Network of Rajasthan
The Positive Women Network of Rajasthan (PWNR) was founded in 1958 by a group of HIV positive women, but officially registered only in 2006. All the founding women had suffered bad experiences with current help centres; they had witnessed how women were being exploited by the men who were running these charitable centres. Being HIV…
Teaching women to become independent in spirit, in thought, in action and have full control over their lives
It was going to be my first visit to Budhwar Peth, Pune’s famous red-light area, and I was both nervous and excited. While safety concerns were making me a little nervous, I was excited at the prospect of finally visiting this oh-so-talked-about area. The Pune-based NGO Swadhar IDWC (Institute for Development of Women & Children)’s…
This organisation is run by a family who are moved by the plight of the poor
Old-Age Home: A grey-haired man who thinks he is 12 years old, since he is stuck in the past because of a traumatic incident in his teenage years. An elderly man who is stuck in his childhood after a snake scared him. A weak, senile man who was found on the road appallingly sick with…
Lives changed by Sankalp Rehabilitation Trust
by Shreyans Shah Sanjay first met me at the Tardeo RTO and directed us to Sankalp’s Mumbai Central DIC. I assumed he was part of the Sankalp staff and thanked him for his help. 20 minutes later, I saw a completely different avatar of the same man. The same man, now Sanjay ‘sir’ was leading…
How it began at Sankalp Rehabilitation Trust
by Shreyans Shah Mr. Eldred Tellis founded Sankalp Rehabilitation Trust in 1995 and has been in the field of drug de-addiction work for the past 30 years. He was driven by his personal experiences as a drug user who managed to quit and stay clean. Having seen the trauma and neglect faced by the users…
Offering a ray of hope to drug addicts since 1995
by Shreyans Shah The total number of people living with HIV in India was estimated at 2.09 million in 2011. Approximately, 1,48,000 people died of AIDS related causes in 2011 in India. Maharashtra has the second highest prevalence of HIV (0.32 million). While the overall rate of prevalence of HIV among IDUs (Injectable Drug Users)…