An effort to stamp out HIV stigma

VIJAYAWADA: When she first visited Kandrika and Rajiv Nagar on the outskirts of Vijayawada to study the plight of HIV carriers, P Deeksha had to return empty-handed as none of the families came forward to share any information.
Knowing fully well that these localities were HIVendemic, Deeksha did not give up. She made repeated visits to the colonies with a team of five volunteers.Gradually, the HIV-affected families opened up to her.
A dermatologist by profession, Deeksha comes from the Gora family, known for its social service activities. Once she had the information she wanted, she launched the Care and Support programme at Kandrika and Rajiv Nagar with the intention of removing the social stigma attached to HIVaffected. It was a demanding mission.
Once they got to know more about the dreaded virus, the victims and their families were prepared to counselled. “The counselling programme helped us remove the stigma, and now more than 200 HIV carriers are undergoing medical treatment offered by us,’’ Deeksha told The Times India.
Deeksha built a strong volunteer network involving Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas group women. She also formed a peer education system which the victims themselves counsel others. Based on success of her efforts, Deeksha later took up a similar work with street children Vijayawada by initiating HIV\STD prevention programme.
“Our project also includes skill development programmes for street children and finding them the right kind of jobs,’’ Deeksha explained.
Another major task Deeksha has undertaken relates to the aid of police torture victims who are rehabilitated through income-generating activities.