World AIDS Day 2022 was celebrated around the globe on 1st December. This year’s theme, “Equitize, “ aimed to instigate conversations and concomitant actions around societal inequity to tackle the disease effectively. The arduous battle against HIV entails acknowledging and engaging with the myriad challenges faced by many marginalised groups, besides addressing the need for the availability of quality HIV treatment and efficient testing, and prevention systems.

According to a data report from 2021, in India, 24,01,284 people are suffering from HIV. In Delhi alone, 55,801 people are listed as PLHIV (People Living with HIV). Cognizant of the virulence of the disease, Caritas India through its Gram Nirman programme runs a Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) for families living with HIV.

Community-Based Rehabilitation of Families living with HIV/AIDS is an integral part of the Gram Nirman project which also emphasizes inclusive socio-economic development of people infected and affected with HIV/AIDS and works to enable their wellness and dignity.

According to the officials, there are about 750 big and small slums in Delhi where approximately 3.5 lakh families are residing.

This programme is reaching out to 18 slums in East Delhi (16 slums are newly selected in the new intervention phase along with 2 old slums) through Community Based Rehabilitation approach with a focus on families living with HIV/AIDS for the last decade.

Apart from rigorous awareness generation activities and social inclusion efforts by creating an enabling environment to ensure access to government entitlements and schemes, the Gram Nirman team is reaching out to PLHIV-infected and affected families by facilitating ART to local hospitals, basic psychotherapy, home-based care, and providing them with opportunities for income generation so that they can live a dignified life.

The programme team commemorated World AIDS day by organizing various activities to sensitize people on the causes and prevention of HIV and other contagious diseases. Street plays were held to spread awareness in 5 locations across in East Delhi including Dilshad Garden, Mansarovar Park, Seelampur, Shahdara and Swami Dayanand Hospital. Moreover, knowledge products such as pamphlets and IEC materials on basic information on Tuberculosis, hepatitis B & C, AIDS, etc were distributed to more than 370 people.

The Gram Nirman CBR programme provides various kinds of support for PLHIV. This includes nutritional, livelihood, medicinal, and counselling support. Each of these support projects covers different demographics in the community fulfilling the required needs in an efficient manner.