::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::AIRTDS - NGO - in Service from 1983::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Towards Lending a hand

The alarm

With a population of 2.23 lakhs, the Tenali division comprising of Tenali and Kolluru mandals in Guntur district, has a record 2728 HIV infected persons that speaks volume of people’s vulnerability and incapacity to cope with growing needs of medical and community care. The region near Vijayawada comprising districts of Guntur, Prakasam and Krishna is one of the highest HIV prevalent areas in Andhra Pradesh.

Over 1/5 of the children of less than 14 years age tested at VCTC are found to be HIV positive. This is an alarming indication that in the near future there would be more AIDS deaths in children as well as increased child orphans due to AIDS deaths. Based on empirical data, of the total PLHA, 6.3% are children in the age group of 0-19 years. Of these children, two third are in age group of 0-5 years.

The Misery

The status of infected children and their affected families is very precarious and more complicated. The first thing is that children are not in a position to understand their health conditions. For a few, both the parents were dead and for some other children, either of the parents died and the other became sick. Due to prevailing stigma, the widows have been driven out and lost their relationship in their in law's house. They are deserted and find no support all of the sudden. The sick mothers are unable to look after their children. The children are not only left as orphans but also expected to take care of their younger ones.

In normal cases, these children will find support from their kiths/kin but due to their HIV status or their parent’s, their relatives too desert them. Even the relatives, who have come forward, put these children low in the family pecking order and have treated them as free labor or another source of income or worse even than this. Thus, in most of the cases, the child’s best interests are sidelined. They have not yet even grown up to understand their situations. Then, where would these children go?

The concerns

AIRTDS, in its concerns to these children, with the help of the local support and donors is at its best has been supporting these children for the past two years. Currently the programme has 20 children in informal foster care and 74 children availing other services

Under the programme the following services are provided:

Rearing children through a family under informal foster care
Training to foster mothers in caring children affected by HIV/AIDS
Providing education facilities to children.
Encouraging these children to mingle with their neighbors and other children through children support groups, entertaining the children and foster family through picnics and cultural programmes.
Developing inherent and potential talent of these children
Creating individual child fund for its future development.
Wherever possible children are encouraged to establish contact and visit frequently with their distant relatives.

These activities are carried on through the following schemes

Child Rearing Scheme
- Providing basic necessities through a foster family.
Child Education Scheme
- School Uniforms, Fees, Books, Note Books, Cycle
Children Support Group Scheme
- Weekly meetings, games, cultural programmes.
Child Talent Scheme
- Improving the latent skills in fine arts in children.
Child Future Development Scheme
- Providing margin money required to raise loans or scholarships for further studies to relevant meritorious children.
Child Health Care Scheme
- Providing regular monthly medical checkup.

Besides orphans AIRTDS also provide care and support to People Living with HIV/AIDS primarily through free medicines for maintaining health and supplementary nutrition food. The services are provided under Medicine Kits Scheme.

AIRTDS works for strengthening the community as well as PLHA through building skill among them. AIRTDS has involved training community members on community counselling and home care skills.

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