After counselling, villagers allow HIV+ woman back home

[Guest guest]

Aug 17, 2010 Maharashtra . 32-year-old HIV-positive widow, who had left her

village in Kolhapur in July because of discrimination, has returned to her home.

This could be possible thanks to the timely intervention of several

non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the Maharashtra State AIDS Control

Society that met the villagers to dispel myths about the Acquired Immuno

Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

On July 19, Anita (name changed) left her home at Longhe village along with her

six-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son. She was frustrated that her

daughter was denied admission in a local Zilla Parishad (ZP) school as she, too,

was HIV positive.

Three years ago, Anita's husband, a factory labourer, died of AIDS. Some time

later, Anita and her daughter tested positive for the disease. After villagers

learnt a year back that the mother-daughter duo was suffering from AIDS, Anita

was disallowed from going to the ZP school where she worked as a help for

kindergarten students. However, she continued to get her salary.

The denial of school admission to her daughter in June this year was the last

straw. Anita decided to go to Mumbai to stay with her maternal aunt. The aunt

herself had lost a few close relatives to AIDS. She was aware of the trauma and

discrimination that HIV-infected patients had to face.

Meanwhile, several NGOs — like the Network of Kolhapur by People Living, the

Sakhi Sanghatan, Jeevanjyot, the Muslim Samaj Prabodhan Trust, the Centre for

Advocacy and Research, the Indian Red Cross Society, and the Lotus Medical

Foundation — learnt of Anita's plight. They took up her case with the

Maharashtra State AIDS Control Society and sought its intervention.

Ramesh Deokar, a project director with the society, directed Kolhapur district

authorities to conduct a gram sabha in Anita's village to dispel myths related

to HIV/AIDS. The gram sabha took place on Friday. Dr Sanjeevani Kulkarni,

founder of NGO Prayas Health Group, participated in the meeting.

Dr Kulkarni told the villagers that HIV/AIDS was not contagious and enlightened

them on infection. Villagers were assured that routine health check-ups of the

widow and the daughter would be conducted. After much convincing, the villagers

agreed to allow Anita and her children to return

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