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Capacity building for

• Doctors, nurses, counselors, social workers and general medical practitioners 

• Community health workers and community health volunteers

• Caregivers of PLHAs

Outreach

• Rapport building in the slum communities of Pratiksha Nagar, Quereshi Nagar and Chunnabhatti, approximately 250,000 population in the vicinity of the Hospital

• More than 550 patients have accessed the services of the Project

• Street plays by the students of the Somaiya Nursing School and the community

• Self-help groups formed in the community to save for health emergencies.

• Focus on stigma reduction and discrimination

• Support for life after infection and management of HIV

Project Staff Development
Exposure visits to MDACS, Jagruti Kendra, Krupa Foundation, Jyoti Terminal, St. Catherine’s Home and Salvation Army’s Care & Support Centre for HIV/AIDS are regularly organized for the project staff. Project staff was also deputed to attend the International Conference organized by Nirmala Niketan College of Social Work in 2005 on Community Care and Support for Infected Persons. Their presentation of the Project’s work was much appreciated. 


Development of IEC Material 

• In March 2004 the Project conducted a poster competition as part of the drive to involve Somaiya medical and nursing school students in the activities of the Project 

• More than 50 students participated. Some posters contained slogans; others had information and prevention messages. All posters were displayed in the Medical College and in the community as well.

Pamphlets and Posters:
Pamphlets in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and Bengali were distributed by the Project in the target communities. Pamphlets were also distributed through the Hospital OPDs. Posters in Hindi and Marathi are displayed in community halls and on community notice boards in the target areas. 

Phone Counseling

• As the Project received overwhelming response from people outside of the target areas, it set up a telephone help line facility from September 2004. 

• Several persons have come for voluntary testing through phone counseling. 
  On an average 2 -3 calls per day are received from far off places. 

Networking

• The Project has developed a wide network with other organizations working for HIV/AIDS, at the grass roots level such as RA Foundation, St Catherine’s Home, Niramay, Jyoti Terminal Care, Krupa Foundation, Salvation Army, Jagruti Kendra, NMP+, MDACS, MSACS, AVERT, Lions Club, Bharat Petroleum, Lawyers Collective, GPO’S, Intra-Somaiya Institutions, and local leaders for community work.

• The objective of the networking is to study best practices, referrals, and advocacy and to sustain project outcomes. Students of various Somaiya Vidyavihar institutions are active participants in the Project’s activities

Digital Documentation

• A database is maintained for all PLHAs and their families.

• The information on the database has been categorized for easy access

The Positive Community Polytechnic (PCP)

• The Positive Community Polytechnic was inaugurated on 30th Nov. 2005

• The first course started with tailoring and embroidery, with 7 machines and 15 trainees. The instructor is an affected woman.

• The aim is to help infected and affected women become economically self-reliant and manage the nutritional inputs to the PLHAs in their families on their own
  On completion of the course, the women will be awarded a certificate by the Somaiya Polytechnic, recognized by the State Government. The certificate will enable them get sewing machines under government schemes

• The PCP will shortly start training in book binding, envelop making and file making. By the end of 2006 it is estimated that 50 women will have received training. 

• The strength of the program has been the patients themselves and the community they live in. The Project has been able to help the patients’ dream of a possibility of living a dignified life and has brought the entire Hospital and their immediate community to make this dream happen.