Women Resource Center (WRC) Project (2019- 23):
Women Resource Centre (WRC) is a single window to improve the knowledge and access to health and provide developmental and social welfare services for women and children infected/affected by HIV. It is initiated in January 2019 with the support of the Chennai Willingdon Corporate Foundation (CWCF) in Chennai. WRC serves as a comprehensive unit for; Treatment literacy, Support to access social welfare schemes, Peer support system, Referrals and linkages, and Economic empowerment.
Services delivered:
- 4850 women and children living with HIV reached in Chennai
- Peer educators conducted 1078 treatment education sessions at ARTC
- 270 support group meetings conducted at various places in Chennai
- 64 women got sanctions for different social welfare schemes
- 5744 referrals done for various services like education support, nutrition support, emergency treatment support, laboratory services, etc.
- 30 women living with HIV (WLHIV) received support for livelihood activities.
Drop-In Center (DIC) Project (2020- 23)
Drop-in Centers are the first referral points for ensuring people living with HIV/AIDS receive correct and consistent knowledge on Treatment Adherence, Education, and Positive living. There is 34 Drop in centers in Tamil Nadu closely linked with ART centers supported by the state government through the Tamil Nadu State ADIS Control Society (TANSACS). Positive Women Network (PWN+) is implementing the Drop-in Centre in South Chennai since the 1st of November, 2020. The DIC project activities of PWN+ are in two hospitals, the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (IOG) and the Institute of Child Health (ICH). PWN+ focus on women-specific activities focusing on positive widows, discordant and concordant couples, newly infected young couples, adolescents, young women, and positive mothers who didn’t disclose their status to children.
Services delivered;
- 800 women and children reached through formal and informal outreach work
- 1067 Counseling sessions conducted in the center and ARTC
- 148 Support group meetings conducted in Chennai
- 1168 referrals to various health services
- 8 advocacy interventions done on SRHR, DIC for PLHIV, Safety of Girl children, School advocacy, issues of aged women at care homes and negligence of aged women in family settings, etc.
- Cervical cancer screening was done for 91 women in Chennai and 23 women diagnosed with various SRH issues, including cervical cancer. All are referred to treatment at General Hospital and Gosha Hospital.
Strengthening Voice of Young Women and Adolescent Girls living with HIV on Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) supported by UNESCO.
On improving the quality of life of women and girls living with HIV/AIDS implemented the program to strengthen the voices of young women and adolescent girls living with HIV on sexual and reproductive health rights in India the program started in 2021 with the support of the UNESCO India office. A series of workshops and panel discussions were conducted. Based on the results of the workshops and panel discussions an advocacy plan was developed. As per the advocacy plan advocacy initiatives with central government and state government is in the process. A total number of 100 women and 45 adolescent girls participated in the program. Workshops were conducted regional-wise based on the comfort of languages. A small booklet on cervical cancer is also planned to publish in this program.
Advocacy Preparedness: a study on the emerging needs of women living with HIV and their involvement in the Global Fund process in India.
This is a multi-country program of the Regional office of UNAIDS through the International Community of Women living with HIV in Asia Pacific (ICWAP). ICWAP decided to increase support for women-led networks to engage in GC7 resource allocation decision-making in Asia and the Pacific region with a focus on Cambodia, India, Thailand, and Viet Nam and to promote women-led organizations to become GF recipients. In India, Positive Women Network (PWN+) was selected to implement the program. The program aims to identify the current needs of WLHIV, identify successful programs that are implemented by women-led networks, and prepare women to present their priorities and recommendations to NACO and the stakeholders who are short-listed as PR in GC7. Ms. Anandi Yuvraj is the consultant to conduct the study along with PWN+. The methodology included desk review, focus Group discussions, data collection using questionnaires and Key informants interviews. Four focus group discussions (FDG) representing Northern, North Eastern, Southern, and Western regions were done using a mix of virtual and face-to-face methods. On average, 6-8 women living with HIV participated in each FDG. In total, there were 23 women living with HIV who participated from the ages of 25-50. The virtual survey was conducted using an online Google form that collected responses from 15 women living with HIV across the country. In the key informant interviews, representatives of five organizations based on their experience of working with women living with HIV in India were involved. Based on the study a set of recommendations was framed and submitted to NACO and the principal recipients of Global Fund.