Vasavya Mahila Mandall

Children Healthy and Happy Programme (CHAHA)
VMM is secondary recipient to India HIV/AIDS Alliance for Global Fund round 6 since June 2007. CHAHA programme is implementing in four districts of Andhra Pradesh with six implementing NGOs to reduce HIV related morbidity and mortality in adults and children and address Impact of HIV on Children. The over all objective is to improve care and support services to children living with HIV/AIDS and Children affected by HIV/AIDS and enable interventions, which keep them with their parents or extended families.

CLHA- an Ambassador for Pediatric Treatment Adherence

Harsha Veni, 10, CLHA orphan, studying 5th class lives with her positive mother at Kondapalli village of Ibrahimpatnam mandal of Krishna district. She lost her father due to AIDS and living with grandparents at Jupudi village, which is about 5 kilometers from Kondapalli. Harsha is active member in children support group and providing the peer support to others. She is an effective positive speaker and facilitates the children for HIV test.

Harsha’s father was welder and mother is house-maker. Harsha is the only daughter to their parents. Her father migrates temporarily for livelihood and comes back home for every 2-3 months. While he was at work he became sick and returned back to his house. As per the advice of his friends, he met the local doctor for health check up. After few days’ of treatment, he did not recover, so the doctor referred him for blood test in the local laboratory. In the test, it was found as HIV Positive. On the advice of the doctor, his wife and daughter were also tested at ICTC and found Positive. Her father is upset that whole of the family is HIV positive. He was depressed about the future of his wife and children and pining on their sickness and death. After her father’s death neighbours and relatives did not accepted the family members due to high levels of stigma. Her mother is concerned about her daughter’s health in her absence. At that time community and their relatives were also not supportive. Harsha become inactive. Both mother and daughter become very sick.

REEDS, partner NGO to VMM identified them with the support of ICTC counselor. Immediately NGO visited the family to know the situation. The staff interacted with Harsha and her mother, came to know that they are suffering with TB symptoms, and referred for TB test. Harsha is TB positive and her mother is negative. Harsha is kept on Anti Tuberculosis Treatment (ATT). After completion of treatment for TB, then NGO referred Harsha for CD4 test at ART center located at Vijayawada. Her CD4 count was 145 and kept her on ART. NGO provided follow up counseling and psychological support and sensitized the family and neighbours on HIV/AIDS.

Both mother and child are getting opportunistic infections rarely. Reeds build the linkages with VMM’s Health on Wheels and availing the medical facility for them. After six months, Harsha went for the CD4 count it raised to 450. She felt happy for increase in the CD4 count. Her mother goes for agriculture labour work. After series of sensitization sessions in the community, they also accepted the family and allowing them to attend the local functions. Earlier schoolteacher makes Harsha to sit separately due to less knowledge on HIV/AIDS. After sensitization the teachers was concerned about her health and ask her “are you taking medicine regularly”.

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