Foreigner shouldn't get involved in local HIV politics !!??

[Guest guest]

Hi folks,

I am very glad to observe some local empathy for local inititatives.

There is much to be done and many contributions that are timely and

potentially effective and every idea needs to be considered. I am not

convinced that every stakeholder who has the potential to make a difference

to the epidemic in India has the necessary funding submission writing skills

to satisfy the Global Fund funding criteria.

As a result of some of my contributions to this thread I have been warned

that I am a foreigner and I shouldn't get involved in local HIV politics.

I just thought I should post my understanding of what I am doing in India

lest my motives be misunderstood and then to emphasise that despite my

proximity to a significant NGO stakeholder, the opinions that I express are

my own and should not reflect on any Indian Agency or its staff.

Mission Statement from

Brimbank Community Initiatives Inc (BCI Inc) of Melbourne Australia

Geoff Heaviside is seconded to come to India as a volunteer, for up to 12

months, having served as a Member of the n AIDS Council for 12 years

many of those as a Board Member of PLWHA (Vic), Straight Arrows and

also P-FLAG Vic (Parents, Family & Friends of Lesbians And Gay Men) where he

was also a Board Member for some years.

He is an accredited Pre & Post HIV Test Counsellor registered with

Department of Human Services – Government of as well as being a

Member of the Chronic Illness Alliance which is affiliated with the Health

Issues Centre at University.

His day to day work involved providing care and support to families in the

City of Brimbank in Melbourne since 1969 in a church based community mission

and this work embraced families infected and affected by HIV-AIDS from 1988.

1. His immediate task is to identify and articulate the needs and concerns

of community based organisations within affected communities, including

those with fewer resources, to establish links so that they are strengthened

in their work to prevent HIV infection. Integral to the task of prevention

is patient friendly, confidential treatment, care and support for people

already living with and affected by HIV-AIDS.

2. Fear based stigma and discrimination appears to be hampering the greater

involvement of people living with, and affected by HIV-AIDS in all aspects

of prevention, treatment, care and support and research and part of the

twinning focus is to resource and train for greater involvement of infected

individuals and affected family members.

· Part of this discrimination is associated with the tendency to target so

called high risk groups e.g. same sex attracted people, injecting drug

users, truck drivers, sex workers etc which increases the potential for

stigmatising groups of infected people rather than concentrating on risk

behaviours wherever they are occurring. Experience has shown that some of

these so called high risk groups are vanguards in behaviour change and other

parts of Asia can attest to sex workers as offering the lowest of

transmission risks, even though they are allegedly a high risk group,

because risk behaviours have been addressed.

3. Part of the articulation is to discover examples of patient friendly

confidential primary health care facilities with reliable and effective pre

and post test counselling facilities followed by affordable family-centric

treatment care and support programs for people who feel that they might have

been at risk of infection.

i. Experience elsewhere has shown that early detection of HIV antibodies

before the immune system is severely damaged can predict the infection being

managed as a chronic manageable condition rather than a terminal illness. In

fact quite a deal of emphasis is occurring in Australia to assist HIV+

people to return to full or part time work where viral replication has been

controlled, sometimes with early anti retroviral treatments, but often these

are delayed and natural therapies used to maintain immune function as long

as possible.

ii. Not every medical facility can or should be expected to be able to deal

adequately with the HIV+ patient and their families. HIV-AIDS is a social

health problem with a small number of medical components. Patient stability

improves with home/community based care with sensitive and confidential

primary health care facilities there as a back up for medical crisis or for

hospice care when the patient can no longer be adequately cared for at home.

Examples of excellence and best practice models in pre and post test

counselling and access to treatments will hopefully be identified.

iii. Early detection and behaviour change will work for prevention efforts

and facilitation of positive speakers and other forms of peer education,

including in home support, will be encouraged.

4. Examples of human rights abuses that appear from time to time will be

identified and efforts made to articulate best practice models.

§ Considerable education around testing protocols will be needed for doctors

with more appropriate risk assessment tools made available. Software exists

elsewhere for blood testing confidentiality to be maintained so that at any

stage in the testing procedure the samples are coded and the only person who

can identify the sample is the referring doctor. Implementation of similar

computer based software should be possible in India so that confidentiality

is more certain for those choosing to test and the timing of tests more

readily aligned with the timing of risk behaviours according to the

assessment tools that exist in specialised medical practices elsewhere.

5. Promotion of existing programs and capabilities between communities and

organisations so that newer communities with fewer resources can be aware of

the capabilities already established and existing elsewhere in India.

§ This will avoid where possible the ‘reinvention of the wheel’ and ensure

that interested individuals and communities will want to get involved and

will be linked with skills based organisations that can run training

programs and also provide ongoing follow up and evaluation when necessary.

6. Articulate and advocate the needs and concerns of communities and their

organisations as they become apparent to appropriate State, Union or other

Aid Agencies, including shared messaging via the internet.

Geoff Heaviside

Brimbank Community Initiatives Inc

Sponsoring Sunshine Budget Advisory Service

5 Brisbane Street

P.O. Box 606 Sunshine 3020

. Australia.

Ph: 0418 328 278

Ph/Fax : (03) 9311 5052

or in India

Mr Geoff Heaviside

Flat #10 Kash Towers

93 South West Boag Road

T.Nagar, Chennai

INDIA 600017

Ph: (91 44) 4329580

Mobile : (91) 9840 097 178

E-mai: <gheaviside@...>

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[Guest guest]

Dear Geoffery:

Thank you for sharing your wonderful work and your difficulties in dealing

with 'local' issues...This is upsetting enough.As a person who has been

attacked severely both while I was in India and now in west, I can understand

how very difficult, I can understand and empathaize with YOU, Geoffery and

understand the dynamic of attack, which is all too familiar in the AIDS Sector.

I would like to share what I learned about attack in AIDS Sector.

I guess the importance here is to offering support not only because it is a

human thing to do, but also because the repercussion of an attack are seldom

confined to one individual and or organization. An attack on one person or

project is in my opinion, in a way, an attack on whole sector itself.

Any individual or organization taking the leadership on the issue of AIDS issue

is wise to expect attack. This is because AIDS touches so many raw nerves and

frightens people. Nothing stops us thinking so fast as fear, and not being able

to think makes us feel terrible.. These are ideal conditions for giving in to

the urge to critize, blame and attack, rather than facing up the fact that we

are scared, can't think straight and need support.

It is likely that an attack will have two distinct components, the particular

pathology of the person or people mounting the attack and some element of truth

about something or other which the individual or organization under attack needs

to put right. It is easier to respond effectively and making allowances for

pathology and then adopting a relaxed, undefensive open attitude to the valid

criticism.

The underlying pathology of the attack, like that of one been mounted towards

Geoffery, may include for example, unresolved childhood trauma, internalized

oppression, misinformation, denial, fear of death, confusion, resistance to

change and misdirected blame, anger, or envy. For example, what is happejning

to Geoffery is hostility which have been very personalized. This happened to me

several times. There have been a campaign to spread misinformation, lies and

rumors and innuendo.

However, if there is a grain of truth in an attack it should not be overlooked,

nor dismissed as simply pathological. The person concerned may very well have

legiticmate criticism or grievances. These charges should be heard through

respectfully, investigated thoroughly and if found to be true, corrected.

Without making clear distinction, we are risk of falling to viction of our won

pathology. Because of our childhood experiences of criticism, most of us find

it hard to stay relaxed, thinking well in the face of hostility and attack. In

these circumstances we are in danger of succumbing to the temptation of

retalitating, never a workable solution. I

It doesn't ofcourse make sense to agree with accusations which are plainly

untrue but it works to concede awhatever we can and to make available as much

accurage information as possible. It is generally true that people, policies

and provedures are never perfect and that we can always do better, personally

and organizationally. Admitting this and avoiding defensiveness will tend to

move things forward.

It is always worth remembering too that attack is not in itself, necessarily an

indication that either you are your project are bad. The converse may be true.

IF YOU OR YOUR PROJECT IS WORTH ATTACKING IT MAY VERY WELL MEAN THAT YOU ARE

STANDING FOR AND ACHIEVING SOMETHING WHICH MATTERS DEEPLY TO PEOPLE.

I do not believe Geoffery, that you should be distracted by this phenomenon,

but be wise to it, expect it and understand it well. Probably the best way to

protect ourselves from any lasting harm is through the pursuit of excellence in

all we do.

E-mail: surendraCritPath (DOT)

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