It is estimated that there are 2.1 million HIV positive people in India. This puts India behind South Africa and Nigeria in numbers living with HIV. Overall, around 0.3% of India’s population is living with HIV. While this may seem a low rate, India’s population is vast, so the actual number of people living with HIV is remarkably high.
AiDENT is implementing targeted intervention programme with Female Sex Workers, transgender, MSM, Injecting Drug Users, Truckers population with State Aids Control Societies of Bihar, U.P, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab for the last 8 years. Through these intervention Team AiDENT has been catering around 12000-14000 population having high-risk behavior and vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. This intervention is part of the flagship programme of Ministry of health & Family Welfare, GoI and being implemented through National Aids Control Organisation (NACO). Working with these difficult- to- reach groups has helped us in developing good understanding of grass root dynamics & designing customized tools for such interventions with the help of pool of technical resources lying with the organization.
Targeted intervention among these groups involves multi-pronged strategies such as behaviour change communications, counseling, health care; treatments for STIs and provision of condoms, along with activities that can help create an enabling environment for behaviour change. Targeted Interventions are stakeholders friendly with the aim of de-stigmatizing the marginalized population, building capacity to face challenges and motivating behaviour change for preventing further spread of HIV. The main thrust of TIs lies in interpersonal communication for bringing about desirable behaviour change with the main focus on Reduction in STI/HIV/AIDS infection and re-infection among High Risk Group Population, Perceptible change in their behaviour pattern, harm Reduction, increasing awareness of STI/HIV/AIDS among High Risk Group Population, Promoting safe sex practices among High Risk Group Population as well as their clients.
To achieve this goal we have adopted strategies like Out Reach & Communication, ensuring Quality STI Services, Creating Enabling Environment and last but not the least Community Mobilisation.
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