STI/HIV/AIDS Intervention in the Slums of Tiruchy City with the support of AIDS Prevention and Control Project (APAC) - Voluntary Health Services (VHS), Chennai, and USAID.

This project was started by 2003 and identified as Demonstration Centre by APAC-VHS-USAID. The major target groups of this programme were Married Men, Married Women and Youths hail from Sixty Slums located in the Tiruchirapalli City Corporation. It worked with nearly sixty thousand people from slums and taken efforts to prevent and control the Sexual Transmission of STI/HIV/AIDS. The project has identified and trained 1340 Peer Educators. The Peer Educators identified from the community served effectively to bring changes in their own communities. The project has come to an end by June 2007.

Demonstration Centre for Capacity Building on Targeted Interventions

Slum Intervention Project of PDI has been identified as a Demonstration Project by APAC in 2003 and the Demonstration Centre facilitated Hands on Training Programmes on interventions targeted at High Risk Groups in slum settings. The demonstration centre adopted participatory training methods in building the knowledge, attitude, and skills of the participants on targeted interventions. The Staff working in the State AIDS Control Societies and the NGOs implementing STI/HIV/AIDS Programmes across the country visited PDI to attend the experiential learning programmes. APAC-VHS-USAID and Sexual Health Resource Centre (New Delhi) had supported the experiential learning programmes.

APAC has utilized the services of Demonstration Centre even after the closure of Slum Intervention Programme and the trainings for the Staff working in Targeted Intervention Programmes were also facilitated by the Demonstration Centre with the support of APAC-VHS-USAID.

PDI has also facilitated Training Programmes to the counselors working in the NGOs working with Tamilnadu AIDS Initiatives (TAI) of VIHAN and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BGMF). It developed a module and facilitated five batches of training programmes. It is a five day capacity building programme exclusively designed for the Counselors working among the Female Sex Workers and MSM/ Transgender. The trainings were organised during 2006 to 2008.

PDI served as learning site for Medical Officers and Staff Nurses of MAC- TAI during the year 2006 - 2007. During that period 6 batches of training were organized for the Medical officers and Staff Nurse of SESA clinics of MAC – TAI - VHS. The participants in order to understand about the key population, efforts were taken such as Community Panel Discussions, Field visits to the residence of Transgender.

PDI had facilitated the training programme on Mainstreaming HIV/AIDS Intervention along with Tsunami Relief and Rehabilitation Services. It's supported by OXFAM GB and the trainings were organised for the OXFAM Supported NGO staff working in the coastal districts of Cuddalore, Karaikal, and Nagapattinam. 240 staff working in NGOs supported by OXFAM had been trained on Mainstreaming HIV/AIDS Intervention along with Tsunami Relief and Rehabilitation Activities, during September 2005 to August 2006. The resource persons of PDI did follow up visits to the field of the NGOs to mentor them in mainstreaming activities.

PDI got involved in sensitizing the Panchayat Leaders belong to the entire District of Krishnagiri, with the support of UNICEF, Chennai. It is a programme aimed at sensitizing the Panchayat Leaders to work against the Stigma and Discrimination against HIV and to understand the need for giving importance to PLHIVs in their development and welfare measures. The programmes were organised during January and February of 2010 and out of 339 Elected Panchayat Leaders, 233 were able to attend the programme and got sensitized.

Urban Development Programme (UDP) - Tiruchirapalli

People Development Initiative (PDI), had implemented Urban Development Programme in Ten slums in the Trichy Corporation for the period from August 2003 to July 2008, targeting women, children and youth as the agents to promote sustainable development initiatives in the area of education, health, environment and women empowerment. It was supported by IMPLICADAS, Vigo, Spain. Education initiative was one of the Initiatives in UDP. Supplementary Educational Programme, Environmental Education, Parent Animator meetings, Non-Formal Education, Summer Camp, and special coaching for dropout were the main components of education initiative. In the aspect of health, UDP Team was working in the areas of Ante-Natal Care (ANC), Post-Natal Care (PNC), and Adolescent health, Family Planning, HIV / AIDS, Conducting medical camps for general health check up , Eye, Dental and ENT and also for disable persons.

Youth Development Initiative was one of the initiatives in the Urban Development Programme. Computer education to the youth, distributing the play materials, formation of youth groups and gender training were the main components of youth initiative The Self Help Groups had been formed for the women to empower them on Socio Economic Front. 1679 women had been formed into 108 Self - Help Groups and they had saved an amount of Rs. 23, 89,305. 30 Groups had been linked with the banks for availing credit. During the project period, they borrowed an amount of Rs.17, 67,100. 245 women trained on various skills and 18 Skill Training Programmes had been organized under Urban Development Programme. During 206 to 2008, the Slum Development Councils were formed and got capacitated. The community members democratically elected their representatives to Slum Development Councils and the Community Governing Council, an Umbrella Body of Slum Development Councils. The project team of UDP transitioned its activities to Slum Development Councils and Community Governing Council to sustain the development programmes initiated under Urban Development Programme. During 2008 to 2009, an programme officer to appointed to hand hold the councils to implement the programmes on their own.

Karaikal Development Programme - Tsunami Relief and Rehabilitation Activities

During 26th December 2004, the tsunami hit the livelihoods of the coastal regions of Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India. Tamilnadu and Karaikal are the worst hit places in India. The casualty and the damages made the people’s life miserable. The Government Departments and the Non-Governmental Organizations immediately responded to address the issue and the relief works started taking place in all the affected places. PDI, as a non-governmental organization has initiated its relief works in Karaikal, with the support of IMPLICADAS, Spain.

Immediately after the tsunami, PDI had deputed its senior staff to assess the needs and to plan the relief activities. After visits and interactions, with the authorities, the area of Karaikal was selected and the following relief activities were started. During January, February and March PDI mainly involved in the relief activities by providing food through the community kitchen, counseling services to the affected, engaging children in play and assisting the affected in every possible way. The major undertaken during the relief work was providing temporary shelters to the affected families.

The people from Vettaikaran Street lost all their houses and stayed in the camp at the Government School, where PDI has decided to construct a temporary shelter for them and the regional authorities has provided place for the temporary shelter. The land was located nearer the land allocated by the Government for contributing houses for the community.

PDI managed to build a shelter with sixty five (65) separate spaces and a community hall where other activities can be organized for the community. In 28th January 2006 the community shifted to the new shelter and the people at last have roof over their needs. The community kitchen at Vettaikaran Street was in operation from 6th February 2005. Ms. Maria, President IMPLICADAS, came to Karaikal and involved in all the relief activities. Dr. Paul Sea bright University of Toulouse, France and Ms. Kaithe Brewis U.K. extended their support through their donations to initiate the relief activities.

The inhabitants of another Tsunami affected village called Mandapathur also expressed that they need a community kitchen in their area. During 1st March to 30th March, the community kitchen was in operation and served food for 250 peoples of Mandapathur. Four counselors were appointed for the project. During these first weeks they were in charge of identifying the areas for their work and they have started building rapport with the community. Each counselor was in charge of around 3,000 people.

PDI and IMPLICADAS have decided to continue their work in Karaikal. PDI with the assistance of IMPLICADAS continued its relief and rehabilitation activities from January 2005 to December 2007. Further, as PDI realized the needs for an intervention in the identified thirteen villages, it submitted a proposal to implement a ‘Comprehensive Community Development Programme’ with IMPLICADAS. Ms.Maria Reimondez, President, IMPLICADAS, conducted a needs assessment study and finalized the activities. Hence, PDI started implementing a Comprehensive Community Development Programme in Karaikal, Since January 2008. The programme continued till June 2011.

During the period from 2005 to 2011, the women empowerment activities were taken place in all the thirteen villages. It helped the project team to made significant impact on Women’s lives with particular reference to their Social and Economic Empowerment.

The project has created a healthy environment for the women to go up in the social ladder by the way of increasing their social mobility.

The Self Help Groups raised their confidence level. Ultimately, they started believing that they could change their lives on their own. They stopped borrowed money from the private money lenders. They want to become self reliant and they come forward to contribute their share to start the Karaikal Mahalir Maiyam.

The project sensitized the women on Gender Issues and made them realized their status in the families and in the society as well. The women victims slowly started accessing the Counseling Services to solve their problems. A few of the men also underwent De-addiction programme followed by counseling. The women faced domestic violence also accessed the counseling services along with their spouses. The project team was successful in taking up the services of Government Family Counseling Services to the Communities.

The women showed their inertest in participating Skills Training Programmes. They acquired new skills and started their own enterprises. The women learnt Computer Skills and Sewing Skills were able secure jobs in private shops.

The health campaigns raised their awareness level; thereby there was an increase in their Health Seeking Behaviour. The Health Camps helped them in checking their health status. The women with chronic illness referred to hospitals, for further treatment.

The federation and Karaikal Mahalir Maiyam provide them a platform for the collectivization. They strongly believed that they could do everything on their own and it gave them confidence to start the Financial Unit with their own shares.

Young People Community Peer Educator Programme (YoPeCoPe) - Thanjavur

PDI had implemented Young People Community Peer Educators programme during September 2005 to June 2007, with the support of UNICEF, Chennai and in collaboration with the Nehru Yuva Kendra, Government of India. The Goal of the project was to provide the knowledge and enhance the perception of risk of HIV/AIDS among young people belong to 13 to 20 age group and to empower them with life skills to cope with risky situations, in Thanjavur district. Four capacitated (Two male and Two female) District Training Coordinators were responsible for the grass-root intervention and expected to establish a strong linkage with the Nehru Yuva Kendra, Thanjavur District Office. In collaboration with the Nehru Yuva Kendra district office, they had initiated rapport building exercise with the local youth groups. The youth clubs of NYK were encouraged to organize one day session for all youth in general and to their members in particular who belong to the same villages.

These one day sessions were taken place, on every alternative day for different Groups and both male and female trainers facilitated the sessions simultaneously for boys as well as girls. And, thirty meetings had been organised every month with the help of Youth Volunteers of Nehru Yuva Kendra. The community buildings such as Balwadis, community centers, places of worship will be used to organize the sessions and training. Two potential volunteers were identified as peer educator during every training session and at the end of every month, thirty peer educators were there to carry out the initiatives. The peer educators had been capacitated through formal training sessions and expected to take up the work at their community level. The information pertaining to the peer educators’ activities in a standard format was collected periodically to monitor the activities and provided onsite supportive supervision by the trainers, following the training programmes. During September 2005 to June 2007, 489 Male Peer Educators and 493 Female Peer Educators were trained from four blocks viz. Thiruvaiyaru, Budalur, Thanjavur, and Papanasam.

The Training Coordinators, with the help of NYK volunteers and the peer educators, created demand for the VCTCs and PPTCTs referring the people to those centres. The identified STI cases were also referred to take proper treatment in respective Hospitals. An opportunity in the form of monthly conventions for Peer Educators had been provided to share their experiences and this was a platform for their cross-learning. Ultimately, the youth population of Selected Four Blocks of Thanjavur district had greater access to information on sexual health, services to protect themselves and also got capacitated to cope up with the risky situations.

Link Workers Scheme - Krishnagiri

PDI had implemented Link Workers Scheme (LWS) in Krishnagiri District, since June 2010, with the support of UNICEF. Under NACP III, National AIDS Control Organization guides the SACS/NGOs to implement Targeted Intervention Programmes across the country with special emphasis to saturate the coverage of Core Group Population and other vulnerable population including Truckers and the Migrants. Besides, NACO has also designed “Link Workers Scheme” with specific objective to address the Population with High Risk Behaviors (Including Core Group and Vulnerable Bridge Population) to saturate the coverage of these groups. The major goal of the project is, ‘To saturate high-risk Vulnerable Groups including Core Group and Bridge Population with prevention and care services and to control the further transmission of STI/HIV/AIDS through locally identified and capacitated Link Workers in the Krishnagiri District’. The project team consisted of One District Resource Person (DRP), Four Supervisors, and Forty Link Workers. The programme had been implemented in One Hundred Villages (35 villages from Krishnagiri and Kaveripattinam blocks, 27 villages from Bargur, Mathur and Uthangarai blocks, 19 villages from Hosur, Soolagiri and Vepanapalli blocks and 19 villages are chosen from Thally and Kelamangalam), which were identified with High Risk Population through a mapping exercise.

The project had taken efforts to reach out the High Risk Groups and other vulnerable population in the villages with information, knowledge, and skills on STI/HIV prevention and risk reduction. It generated awareness and enhanced utilization of prevention, care and support programmes and services (especially ST I, ICTC, PPT CT, ART, DOT and other health services). It facilitated the delivery of youth friendly health and counseling services through existing public health services/ service delivery points. The project had also taken efforts to create an enabling environment for PLHAs (People Living with HIV/AIDS) and their families by reducing stigma and discrimination through work with existing community structures/groups. The programme had come to an end by March 2012.