HIV/AIDS Capacity Building amongst the Rural Poor

[Guest guest]

HIV/AIDS Capacity Building amongst the Rural Poor

Synergizing global collaboration to address HIV/AIDS needs in rural

India: the Jhabua experience.

D. Batura1, F. Toegel2, R. Nair1, H. Makadon3

1Wockhardt-Harvard Medical International HIV/AIDS Education and

Research Foundation (WHARF), Mumbai, India

2Aktionsgemeinschaft Partner Indiens (API), Munich, Germany

3Wockhardt-Harvard Medical International HIV/AIDS Education and

Research Foundation (WHARF), Boston, United States

Issues: Recognising the need to augment HIV/AIDS preventive

activities in rural India, an NGO created in Mumbai as an academic

private partnership with Harvard Medical International (HMI), the

Wockhardt-HMI HIV/AIDS Education and Research Foundation (WHARF) has

entered into a multinational initiative to provide HIV/AIDS education

and establish VCCTCs in a tribal district.

Description: Located in western Madhya Pradesh, India, Jhabua is a

rural district, home to nearly one million of the Bhil tribe.

Following extensive deforestation, these erstwhile hunters migrate

for jobs. Males undertake manual labour while females serve as

housemaids; males often visit brothels and females are frequently

sexually exploited. Literacy is low, poverty is widespread and

alcoholism affects both sexes. STIs are rampant. Most health care is

home based and childbirth domiciliary. Health worker's burden of

responsibility is exacerbated by a lack of resources.

Since July 2004, WHARF has led an education program addressing

nurses, midwives, social workers, counselors teachers and community

leaders. The goal of the program has been to increase HIV/AIDS

awareness, provide education about preventive practices specific to

their community, and encourage healthy, non discriminatory attitudes

towards PLWHA in order to reduce stigmatization.

WHARF has also helped establish VCCTCs and collect epidemiological

data in four key towns across Jhabua. Data collected from the VCCTCs

over the four month period since inception in March 2006 to June 2006

showed that 272 persons (mean 68 per month) were referred by primary

care providers for testing. Of these, 144 (52.94%) undertook testing

(mean 36 per month). Out of those tested, two (1.3%) tested positive.

Using its Mumbai experience, WHARF has developed a comprehensive

curriculum to train the workers at these centres. The working of

these centres is monitored frequently and the staff regularly trained.

This multifaceted collaborative initiative was spearheaded by

Aktionsgemeinschaft Partner Indiens, a German NGO working through

their Indian associates, Jeevan Jyoti Health Service Society. The

initiative also had the support of the MP AIDS Control Society.

Lessons learned: Collaborating across continents, organisations have

used their strengths, dovetailed resources and developed a successful

capacity building program serving the rural poor.

Recommendations: The success of the Jhabua program demonstrates the

impact that multilateral collaboration could have throughout rural

India

Deepak Batura

e-mail: <d_batura@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

Ref: The abstract of the paper " HIV/AIDS Capacity Building amongst the Rural

Poor; Synergizing global collaboration to address HIV/AIDS needs in rural

India: the Jhabua experience by Dr. Batura and collegues (D. Batura, F. Toegel,

R. Nair, Makadon)

We have enough Indian experiences and expertise to validate how effective our

own efforts are , among our own people in India.

While innovative efforts are welcome, we should be wary of MNCs and thier

interferences into the healthcare system, especially when they wrap it up as

services to the poor.

Daisy

Email:guruclin@...

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

With reference to the comments by Ms Daisy,

(/message/6888)

I would like to state that WHARF is a not for profit organization (NGO) based in

Mumbai which works in the field of enhancing capacities amongst care providers

through training. We also have a youth wing which increases awareness amongst

college youth and BPO’s. We have run programs in the slums and for police

personnel. Our NGO had its seeds as a partnership formed between Wockhardt and

Harvard Medical International. Apart from this genesis, we are entirely

autonomous and not dependent on either parent organization. The entire staff

including faculty, management and trustees work on an honorary basis.

Further, for the record, it is clarified that Wockhardt is not a " MNC " , but an

entirely Indian firm, which takes its social responsibility seriously. HMI is

an academic body with no other agenda. It is pertinent to mention that the work

done in Jhabua was largely by our faculty and our volunteers, i.e. “our own

people in India”.

Without casting any aspersions on any other organization working amongst the

rural / tribal populations, we take pride from the fact that in our own limited

way, we have been able to contribute towards the health of people in the poorest

district of Madhya Pradesh, Jhabua, by spreading AIDS awareness and augmenting

MPSACS efforts by establishing VCCTC’s in remote areas.

Though we have noted through debates and discussions in forums, including AIDS –

INDIA, about the shortcomings in working practices of NGO’s and other Government

bodies, we have also observed that many Corporates, and “MNC’s” are equally or

perhaps more committed towards any responsibility than a lot of other players in

the field. Hence, while it may be appropriate to be “wary” of any organization

working for the cause, it may be unfair to adopt stereotypes and blame “MNC’s”

for “interferences into the health care system”, when the efforts and energies

are genuine and the outcome is positive.

We would welcome Ms Daisy to visit our organization and share her apprehensions

with us; I am sure we would be able to convince her that we are not self serving

people endeavoring to camouflage shabby practices and hidden agenda by “wrapping

it up as services to the poor.”

With regards,

Dr Deepak Batura

Founding Faculty,

WHARF

e-mail: <d_batura@...>