a.
Education and awareness
 SIP+ understands
the importance of awareness and education in the fight
against HIV/AIDS. It targets at risk communities. It also
provides information to the general public. SIP+ holds
regular support group meetings at its office for its members.
At these meetings, a wide range of topics including income
generation, self-help group formation, explanation of
legal rights, HIV/AIDS treatment and ART's, yoga and meditation,
are covered. Doctors, lawyers, and other trained personnel
are often invited as resource people to these meetings.
The Main target audience of our services/activities
are:
1. The General public, awareness sessions, Auto campaign,
street theatres, Rally, handbill distribution, poster
campaign and wall writings.
2. The Student Community, through awareness sessions,
doubt clearing, positive speaking, student volunteer Training,
Question box.
3. Health Providers, such as multi purpose health workers,
nurses, Doctors, through sensitization meetings.
4. For factory workers, police personnel, through awareness
sessions, positive speaking and
condom demonstration
5. For street children who are more vulnerable to HIV,
through awareness.
b. Children's Investment
Fund Federation (CIFF)
This project is implemented by Tamil Nadu AIDS control
society TNSACS. Since Tamil nadu having been identified
as one of the states with Highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS,
the Government of Tamilnadu and Children Fund Foundation
- U K have entered into an agreement to serve roughly
4000 families with HIV/AIDS for Comprehensive Care, Treatment
and support programmer. Including Anti Retroviral Therapy
Covering Chennai, salem,Tirunelveli Regions and Covering
to the districts that surround the main sites namely Kanchipuram,
Villupuram, Tiruvallur, Erode, Trichy, Dharmapuri, Peramballur,
Tuticorin and Kanniyakumari.
The structure of supplementation.
Three large NGO's will be an integral part of the program
at the three main sites Chennai, Salem, Tirunelveli. The
Grass root work will be carried out by 16 small NGO's.
Their activity is focused on out reach and follow up services.
The integrated services implemented by the large NGO's
and small NGO's, and the hospital team and deliver comprehensive
care.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES.
1. The primary objective is to reduce HIV related morbidity
and mortality by providing routine medical care including
Antiretroviral therapy and Nutritional support.
2. To prevent the creation of AIDS orphans through extend
the lives of HIV infected persons.
3. To create multi sector model involving hospitals, NGO's,
CBO's and positive network.
SERVICES.
Comprehensive range of services such as:
- Psychosocial services
- Nutritional services
- Legal services
- Linkages to income generation activities
- Medical care
PROGRAM MODEL
Family centered continuum of care
Will provide a range of clinical and non clinical services
for the person living with HIV/AIDS. The medical services
will include routine Medical care, Diagnosis, Treatment
and Prevention of opportunistic infection and ART. The
non - clinical services will include psychosocial services,
Adherence, Nutritional and Prevention counseling, Patient
follow up and home based care, income generation activities,
legal services, and housing. The Psychosocial services
and nutrition services will be directly provided where
as they other services will be provided by way off linkages
and referrals.
The program integrated with all other programmer based
in the hospitals such as VCTC, PPCTC, Blood bank, TB clinics,
STD clinics, and other department in the hospital delivery
clinical and non clinical services.
Emergency follow up care will be provided by SOUTH INDIA
POSITIVE NETWORK at anytime.
c. PROJECT FOR TRANSGENDER-
BY TIDES FOUNDATION
Among the population vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, a key segment
are the Transgender and MSM communities while there are
several intervention in place for the MSM (men who have
sex with men) community, the Transgender community, especially,
the male to female populations called Aravanis (Transgender)
in south India. (Hijiras in north India) remain largely
neglected. This neglected attitude comes from ignorance,
misunderstanding and stigma around transgender issues.
Data from government surveillance suggested that sero
positivity in the transgender and MSM communities is significantly
higher than in the general population.
In the area of care, support and the treatment, there
is also neglect of the issues specific to the transgender
communities. So as to initiate provision of services
for this stigmatized population such as Aravanis. It
is uniquely poised to provide care, support and the
treatment for this vulnerable community.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The project aims to enhance services for HIV positive
transgender individuals visiting the government hospitals
in Chennai, India, through the center maintained by
SOUTH INDIA POSITIVE NETWORK.
To work with the medical establishment to educate them
on issues specific to transgender, for example stigma
and discrimination that may prevent them from seeking
treatment at government hospitals.
To educate transgender HIV positive about treatment
issues and related topics such as adherence to medication,
nutrition etc.
To advocate for greater attention to treatment related
issues such as interaction between hormone therapy and
Anti retroviral therapy, sexual reassignment surgery
for HIV positive Transgender.
To provided psychosocial support for HIV transgender,
to built their self esteem, live healthy positive lives,
and reduce risk of further transmission.
METHODS AND ACTIVITIES
Meetings with medical professional involved in HIV treatment
to sensitize transgender issues and they need for over
coming stigma towards positive transgender.
Monthly sessions one to one interactions or treatment
will be carried out.
Networking with agencies in India and abroad working
with Transgender PLWHA'. Through this network the latest
information and updates on Drug interactions between
ARV and hormones, and surgical guidelines for transgender.
PLWHA who are considering sex reassignment surgery.
Dissemination of information at treatment ADVOCACY meetings
and sessions with the medical community.
Psychosocial support by trained counselors to with transgender
to build their self esteem, overcome internalized prejudice/Tran
phobia.
DESCRIPTION OF TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY.
The estimated population of transgender in chennai city
is around 1500 ( One Thousand Five Hundred ) approximately
in which the PLWHA transgender ( Aravanis ) are registered
up to one hundred and twenty eight. The number of infections
increasing everyday due to the vulnerability of the
community as well as the discrimination up on the community.
Problems Faced by Transgender.
The stigma and discrimination towards Aravanis ( Transgender
) starts right from the adolescence when they are in
their parental care. The society neglects the community
not considering as a human being.
Discrimination at public places by the general public:
- Denial of treatment at hospitals.
- Ignorance of HIV/AIDS, ARV treatment.
- Loss of income at termination of employment.
- Violation of human rights by anti social elements.
- Third degree approach by the police personnel.
- Discrimination with in the community by separating
their identity based on sexual reassignment surgery.
ACTIVITIES IN TIDES.
- Identification and enrollment of transgender PLWHA's
- Sensitization of doctors treating HIV infected persons.
- Counseling, follow up, treatment preparedness, ART
adherence, employment opportunities and nutrition.
d. Income generation
projects
Most of the people SIP+ assists are those from lower
socio-economic groups. These HIV+ people find it hard
to get jobs because they face/perceive discrimination/disclosure
at the work place, and eventually, due to the nature
of their illness, find it difficult to work regular
hours. This in addition to the fact that many PLWHA's
come from "positive families" with more than
one HIV+ member. These individuals not only need to
earn a living to support their families, but also need
to provide physical assistance and take on the role
of care givers at home. SIP+ teaches skills that can
be used to generate income from their homes and assists
them in the acquisition of raw materials/equipment in
order to do so. So far, classes have been held in tailoring,
toy making, packaging provisions, making nutritional
mixes, etc. SIP+ also encourages PLWHA's to continue
work they are familiar with and offers them a little
more security by allowing them to own their own businesses.
e. Housing
 Many of
the transgender living in slums with thatched huts in
cluster indulging in commercial sex, mainly depending
on begging. Rental housing or government tenements are
not provided for them. Often changing the places due
to housing problems. Initiatives taken for getting permanent
housing from the government but chances are low for
accommodating more number of transgender. The plight
of the HIV positive transgender is ridiculous in terms
of physically deteriorated conditions, terminal stages
complications and many problems at the end of the life.
SIP+ assists PLWHA's and the transgender community to
find suitable housing when necessary. These marginalized
communities are often denied property and inheritances;
SIP+ offers legal services to help them fight for what
is rightfully theirs. In the interim period, the organization
assists them in finding safe, comfortable housing.
f. Counseling
Psychosocial support is an extremely important part
of caring for PLWHA's. SIP's counseling services focus
on pre and post testing counseling, positive living,
and family counseling for positive people. SIP also
regularly holds support group meetings where PLWHA's
can share their experiences with their peers and foster
a sense of community amongst themselves. Counseling
is also provided to vulnerable populations such as truck-drivers,
prison inmates, sex-workers, eunuchs, auto drivers,
injecting drug users, men who have sex with men, street
children, and migrant laborers.
Our counseling has focused mainly on
- Pre-test counseling
- Post-test counseling
- Positive living
- Positive person family counseling
Counseling to all Vulnerable populations such as truck-drivers,
prison inmates, sex workers, eunuch, auto drivers, injecting
drug users, men have sex with men, street children, migrant
labourers, especially for infected peoples and others.
Counseling to the infected people is given by peer
counselors from the same community for effective sessions
which build confidence in the mind of PLWHA. Counseling
given before HIV test, post HIV test, follow up, family
counseling and for children of PLWHA. The counselors
are trained as well as qualified personnel. Peer counseling
is the best option for the effective results in the
field for the effective results in the field of HIV/AIDS,
ARV treatment.
g. Legal services
SIP+ works with volunteer lawyers and South India AIDS
Action Programme (SIAAP) to provide free legal services
to PLWHA's. Under this program, information is given
about basic human rights and recommendations are made
to battle legal injustices. Common complaints such as
discrimination at work, an inability to get housing,
along with property/inheritance battles after disclosure
of HIV status are also handled under this service. In
2004-2005, nine cases were registered under this service
for the denial of property to positive people. Legal
action was also supported under this program when a
destitute positive eunuch was denied treatment at a
Government Hospital in 2001.
The initial case history of any legal problems will
be recorded by the counselors and they forward the case
to the project manager to qualified social workers and
analyzed the problem and refer the case to free legal
panel consisting experienced broad minded lawyers.
The legal team decided the case for further action.
There are number of cases discussed at thematic support
group meetings.
Denial of property rights, family separation cases,
insurance cases are some of the issues of our main focus.
Loss of employment, denial of rental houses, denial
of treatment, denial of education are the common issues.
h. Funeral services
SIP+ aims at upholding the dignity of HIV+ people in
life as well as in death. Many transgender / HIV+ people
are shunned by family and friends, even in death, leaving
their bodies unclaimed. Also, all too often, whole families
are affected with HIV leaving no one to take care of
the last member who passes on. In these cases, as well
as for those who are destitute, SIP+ provides funeral
services, enabling people to be put to rest according
to their wishes, with peace and dignity.
i. Networking & Advocacy
Networking with government agencies NGO's positive networks,
service providers, hospitals, colleges, care centers
in order to provide a comprehensive services to the
PLWHA members.
Coordination with World Vision India, Freedom Foundation,
YRG care , Hope Foundation, YWAM foundation, Shanthi
Bhavanam, MCCSS care center, etc.
Our peer counselors are placed at government general
hospitals providing counseling every day for HIV test,
ARV treatment and opportunistic infections.
School AIDS education program, college AIDS education
programs being conducted through coordination with NCC
and NSS.
Advocacy meetings for doctors providing treatment for
PLWHA's with the aim of sensitizing issues and problems
of PLWHA's at government general hospitals. Government
women and children hospitals.
Special meetings have been arranged to address the
issues of transgender seeking better approach and treatment
at Anti retro viral therapy departments.
Meetings with legal team had been conducted to expose
various legal problems of HIV infected individuals,
families, and children.
Networking and Advocacy is done with:
- Social workers
- NGOs
- College students
- Care centers / Hospitals
- Medical professionals
- Advocates
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