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| The intervention of Sangli Mission in the field of HIV/AIDS is resumed with the implementation of the Project "community based Comprehensive care for PLHAS" in 40 slums in the Municipal Corporation of Sangli-Miraj-Kupward in Sangli District. A centre with counselling and support facilities for PLHAS is established in Miraj city, near both the railway and bus stations. The name of the centre, which was formally inaugurated on 8th Feb.2005 by the Dean, Government Medical |  |
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| College, Miraj and was blessed on 19th Feb.2005 by His Beatitude Cardinal Mar Varkey Vithayathil, the Major Arch-bishop of Syro Malabar Church, is'Dilasa', which means consolation. | |||
| Sangli one of the four districts in Sangli Mission has a population of 2.75 million. Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad together constitute a municipal corporation which has got 104 slums of which 94 are registered with a population of 104000 slum dwellers and 6000 red-light area dwellers i.e. commercial sex workers (CSW). It has got a high density of PLHAS. The villagers towards the southwest of Sangli district are having an alarming increase in the percentage of HIV infected persons. These villages are situated at the Karnataka border of Maharashtra. | |||
| The various statistics available regarding the situation of the incidences of HIV/AIDS infection in this area cannot tell the exact figure of PLHAS, but reveal how alarming and dreadful the situation is. It is considered that Maharashtra state is one of the states with high incidence of HIV/AIDS; 25% of the cases in Maharashtra are in Sangli; Mumbai is with the highest of 33%. Thus, Sangli has the second highest number of incidence of HIV/AIDS infection in Maharashtra.The statistical information obtained from Dr. Shanthanu Deo, the head of the Dep. of Micro-biology, Wanless Mission Hospital, Miraj | |||
| reveals the growth rate of the HIV infected in the district to be 7%,which means out of hundred people tested for HIV virus, seven are declared HIV+. According to 'World Vision' an NGO engaged in developmental activities as well as AIDS awareness and rehabilitation programmes in the area for the last 8 years, at least one person in every village in the district die of HIV/AIDS every month. All Other NGOs who work in the field of HIV/AIDS in this area have only one say that the number of PLHAS are high and alarming. | |||
| Dilasa has a staff of well-trained and qualified persons comprising of a coordinator, a counsellor and eight animators cum barefoot counsellors. They go to the slums in the project area, try to identify PLHAS, give them and their family members counselling and other support and identify one member each from the families of the PLHAS identified to be care-givers who will be given | |||
| training to look after the PLHAS at their homes itself. For meeting the financial needs of the PLHAS Self Help Groups and micro finance interventions through them are promoted. There will be members in the SHGs from the families of PLHAS. The SHG members are sensitised through training regarding the need and duty of helping the PLHAS through mutual help and self help. Finance through SHGs is made available to PLHAS to engage in income generating activities so as to strengthen them to generate 'resource base' for themselves. |  |
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Fr Kuriakose Kunnel (Director) |
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| mstdeeptibhavan@sancharnet.in |