Promoting Rehabilitation Empowerment and Awareness of Children with HIV
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At present Prajna is undertaking the PREACH Project (Promoting Rehabilitation Empowerment and Awareness of Children with HIV.) aided by Adoptions Centrum of Sweden.
This project evolves around five taluks of Dakshina Kannada district and includes around 215 families and 412 children.. Those beneficiaries are in some way infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. Through this initiative PRAJNA empowers families and builds an awareness for the reduction of discrimination and marginalization against children living with HIV.
We offer psycho-social support through regular monthly network meetings where they don’t have to hide and can be themselves. Those network meetings empower the people and by mingling with others who too are suffering like them , they are able to share their feelings and this helps them to come out of their depression. Through Resource Persons, they learn more about government help and how to receive it and also about health &hygiene, laws and social issues. At those monthly meetings, they also receive nutritious food which helps them to stay healthy and fight the disease. Through the mobilization of resources in the society, PRAJNA provides nutrition, assistance for education and health facility, counselling and psychological support service for members.
Workshops and trainings and sensitization programs are also held for families, caregivers, community based organizations, school teachers, pre-social workers, Nursing staff and employees in public institutes. PRAJNA has also initiated skill trainings for counsellors and technicians of HIV-testing Centre (ICTC), prevention of parent to child transmission Centre (PPCT) and ART Centres.
The beneficiaries have also been take to outings of various sorts. As a new initiative they have been encouraged to take up eco friendly farming and kitchen gardening . They were taken to horticulture farms and were exposed to various types training s in eco friendly organic farming. To strengthen this idea and empower them further they were given grow bags, seed and seedlings in order to motivate them further and give the opportunity to make use of this newly acquired knowledge.
This project also organizes aids prevention program in the community focused on prevention and care of HIV. The aim of the programme is to inform different sectors in society about the risks and the prevention of HIV. Through different awareness building programmes, like capacity building of group leaders, workshops and action orientated group activities, it trains and informs members of various social groups. We hold workshops for youth-organizations, medical professionals and women self-help-groups, employees in industries and lorry-drivers, teachers and students and for high risks groups like drug addicts and prostitutes. To improve communication and offer perspectives PRAJNA focuses on the building of a positive network so that members can avail various benefits and facilities from governmental and private sectors.
Our ultimate aim is the awareness building of Aids in the society and the reduction of discrimination against persons living with HIV.