Re: Enough is enough: An open letter to Delhi State AIDS Control Society (DSACS)

[Guest guest]

Dear Neville,

Re: /message/7560

I am shocked and also pained by this development.SAHARA getting

disassociated with AIDS programmes run by Government? Who is the loser?

Not you.

I congratulate you for the bold stand you have taken and would request

Ms Sujatha Rao DG NACO to immediately intervene and see that

organizations like yours associated with AIDS programmes with dedication

and commitment do not suffer such insults and indignities.

Wishing you all the best in the service of infected and affected.

J.V.R.Prasada Rao

UNAIDS Regional support Team, Bangkok

e-mail: <raojvrp@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear Neville Selhore

Director Sahara

Please take your excellent work forward. We all are with you. Across the states

NACO has clearly demostrated their low capacity to work with organizations of

repute and skill.

I still remember when NACO was setting up care and support systems in Delhi you

and team were running a full 45 beded care center in Delhi.

regards,

Mike

e-mail: <aidswatchindia@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum members,

With reference to Sahara's posting, and the support received from an

esteemed personality such as Mr. JVR Prasada Rao, we would like

support and agree with Sahara's contention that has been very

diplomatically and correctly put forward.

However, please bear in mind, that if an organization of the stature

of Sahara is feeling and expressing this, what is the plight of much

smaller community based NGOs that are facing the same fate, not just

in Delhi, but also in other parts of the country?

While we support Sahara in raising its voice, many organizations

cannot do so as their only source of funding is SACS.

We would also like to add to Saharas contentions and bring to the

forums notice the following points:

1. Some organizations funding was similarly abruptly stopped

midway (or sometime during the course of the year) through similar

farcical evaluation exercises. This has been happening since last 3

years. Balance of dues has not been paid, either in part and/or in

full to many.

2. Many organizations have received funding and continue to be

funded despite not working as per TI guidelines.

3. Patronage and corruption is rampant and we hope that NACO

takes cognizance of these `considerations' as Sahara puts it

diplomatically and seriously looks into the matter.

4. staff and evaluation teams have been insensitive in the

extreme, have relatively little information on sexual health and

HIV related issues.

5. if and when, appraisals are carried out , they are done so

most arbitrarily and inconsiderately.

Community that once worked with SACS and is still waiting for

justice as many of our colleagues and friends continue to die due to

stoppage of funding, although some have traveled far to other

organizations for help, there is room for only so many, and the rest

must suffer and die !? We thank our friends for helping us to put

across this message as we cannot do so…

We hope that this anonymous posting points out and brings to the

forums notice the deeper malaise afflicting SACS and prompts action

to be taken.

Thanks.

In solidarity,

Anonymous

e-mail: <anoncheck@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear Neville and friends,

Re: /message/7560

Really its matter of concern not only for the Civil Society (CS) organisations,

but all those who are working for combating the pandemic in the country.

What SAHARA has experienced is not the only evidence of such kind, there are

lots of stories of malign attitudes of SACS, I have personally experinced in

several states including Bihar and Rajasthan and have shared with DG, NACO in

detail, but never got a single line response.

In the very recent past while organising a workshop on " Thre-Ones " in Rajasthan

we requested the RSACS to provide a list of its grantee NGOs in order to send

them invitation for the workshop. The reply of the dealing official was like a

police Inspector and comment on insisting upon supplying the list soon was

" Hamne sab NGO ka theka nahin le rakha hai " . (we haven't taken a contract for

all the NGOs).

There was no reponse of my personal letter to the Secretary, M & H Services,

Rajasthan and P.D., RSACS too and the list sent to us after almost one month was

quite useless as it was not the one we had requestd for.

What other lots of things happening at the SACS levels in many states are

shocking and of grave concern. The comment made by the Government delegate in

the meeting of UNAIDS PCB held in Geneva on June 25-27, 2007 " what the NGOs want

to achieve by obtaining voting rights in the PCB?' was astonishing for the

international CS organisations present in the house as he was the only Govt.

delegate to make such type of negative comment on this issue.

This kind of attitude raise a very srerious and pertinent questions as whether

or not the Govt. is clear on how and what kind of collaboration does it want

from the CS in the fight against the pandenmic in the country?

Further, there is one more question as what kind of NGO/CS SACS (it is not the

question for DSACS only) are seeking for, if the CS like SAHARA is not suitable

to work in their view?

I seriously feel that the monitoring system at NACO must be re-examined and

revived and an efficacious check in conjunction with CS organisations be put

into force at SACS, otherwise all the promises we have made at international

level towards Unuiversal Access would be proved as day dream only.

It is a very good sign of hope that Mr. Prasad Rao, a senior officer and a

person with high level experience, is speaking honestly on such a grave issue.

Its enough, we should speak now openly breaking the wrecking silence.

Bhawani

Bhawani Shanker Kusum

Secretary & Executive Director

Gram Bharati Samiti (GBS)

NGO Delegate for Asia Pacific, UNAIDS PCB

Amber Bhawan, Amber 302 028 India

Tel.: 91-141-2531242 Fax: 2530719

E-mail: gbsbsk@... www.gbsjp.org

[Guest guest]

Dear Neville and other members of AIDS e Forum,

Re: /message/7560

I agree en Toto with Neville regarding the high handedness of DSACS and a

total lack of practical knowledge and experience about TI projects. As Neville

so aptly puts it, “Anyway, Sahara had been contemplating not to partner with

DSACS for sometime now, because DSACS DOES NOT UNDERSTAND the realities at the

grass root level and their personnel lack the necessary initiative and

willingness to at least make an effort to do so”

AIDS Awareness Group has been working in the brothels since 1991. We have had

several periods when we received no funds from anywhere but we continued our

work non stop.

AIDS Awareness Group was approached by DSACS in the year 2000 to apply for a

project on Targeted Interventions project with sex workers on GB Road as, " We

find, after a survey that you are the only NGO working in the brothels with sex

workers " .

We applied and got funds for three years from DSACS with effect from September

2001. Except for the first instalment, funds were never released in time. There

were delays of six to nine months in some of the instalments.

As for the condom supply – it was most irregular. If safe sex is to be

practised by sex workers, then condoms must be made available without any break

in supply. There were inexcusable gaps of two to three months between

successive supplies of condoms particularly from April to end May and again from

October to December, every year.

As a partner cum Donor, one would expect help in problem solving from DSACS.

There were only irrational orders from people who had no idea of the ground

reality.

We were asked for kick backs by some of the officers who were in a position to

reduce payments and recommend termination of the project. We refused to enter

into such activities.

In 2003-2004 DSACS decided that they wanted more NGOs to take part in the TI

Interventions with sex workers on GB Road. First of all AAG was asked to reduce

its outreach to only 24 brothels and hand over the rest to new, untried NGOs

with no previous experience.

We did not take part in the meeting stating that we had, through persistent

hard work, managed to build a strong rapport in over 36 brothels and earned the

trust of over a 1000 sex workers. It seemed irrational on the part of DSACS to

demand that “AAG withdraw from many brothels because; otherwise other NGOs

would not be able to access the sex workers.”

At about this time NACO had asked us to forward a fresh proposal for

intervention with an additional 1000 sex workers. “No way!” said DSACS “we will

not sanction this. We will give other NGOs a chance…” etc., etc..

From 31stJan 2003 to 3rd February, our TI project with sex workers on GB Road

was evaluated by a team appointed by NACO. In all 55 NGOs doing TI projects

were evaluated. Informally we learnt that we were the adjudged as the best NGO.

The next year we were again evaluated by a consultant who had earlier been with

DFID for many years. She too was very impressed with our work and said so to us

in so many words.

Yet when it came to sanctioning the project for the next three years, i.e.

from September 2004 onwards, there was a total silence and of course the

project was never renewed. But we were never informed.

DSACS was such an arrogant organisation during the three years we were funded

by them that they did not even deem it necessary to reply to any of our

letters. Even requests for meetings with the Project Director were not

answered. We have fat files full of letters to DSACS which were unanswered by

them. If we went unannounced, we would be informed that the Project Director

was not in office when in actual fact he was sitting inside his office.

As regards Condom supply, as mentioned earlier the supply was intermittent and

never sufficient to meet the needs of the brothels.

Once the project was over / not renewed we were told that condoms were only

meant for the partner NGOs and since we were no longer partners the question of

condom supply did not arise.

What I would like to ask is “Are the condoms to be supplied/ distributed where

there is greatest need for controlling spread of HIV/AIDS irrespective of

whether the NGO is funded by DSACS or not, or whether they are meant to be

given only to NGOs funded by DSACS.

Is it important that a very high risk population is kept supplied without a

break or only funded NGOs are supplied condoms for distribution? All we know is

that sex workers from all the brothels come to our Drop-in-Centre on GB Road

and demand condoms and medicines stating that no body else supplies them

condoms and that no other NGO is treating them for their medical problems. They

also express the greatest contempt for the DSACS operated Van which is seen

parked near the MCD School.

In short DSACS and all other SACS are a blot on the landscape, bringing

disrepute and shame to all NGOs who are working honestly and sincerely.

We join Neville wholeheartedly in his expression of disgust with DSACS and

their bullying activities.

In Solidarity,

and the AAG Group

Director ,

AIDS Awareness Group (AA)

e-mail: <aagindya@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum members:

I have watched this debate with disillusionment. Mr. Rao and other doyens are

wasting their time trying to install some order in SACS. I haven't seen any

response from DSACS or NACO to put their side of the story to the civil society.

The message is taken, that is, SACS and NACO and their actions are not

answerable to the civil society.

The field of HIV/AIDS has been transformed in to a " swamp " that is a

protectorate of NACO and the international agencies. Those who lie dysfunctional

and motionless in this swamp will survive. SHARAN and other active organisations

that create activities must drown in this swamp!

Long live fat AIDS!

Disillusioned & Wish to remain anonimus