Cheyutha promotes family support networks for people living with HIV
18 December 2006
The Cheyutha project has hosted a family get-together in Bhongir, a remote town in the Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The family day was part of ongoing work to promote support networks for people with HIV. The 120 people who came along included those who have been diagnosed with HIV, together with their children, partners and extended families.
Cheyutha is a community-based organisation that provides social and medical support to people living with HIV through clinical/rehabilitation services, counselling and peer education. It is part of LEPRA Society, an Alliance lead partner that has played a key role in stimulating and developing support networks for people with HIV in Andhra Pradesh.
The full-day programme was scheduled to coincide with the Karthika Pournami festival and included discussions on women’s health problems, safer sex and the prevention of opportunistic infections, as well as games, shared meals and a visit to a local temple. Aside from these activities, participants were given opportunities to share experiences, network and learn from each other.
One highlight was the participation of Raja Rao, a 32-year-old auto-rickshaw driver who had been diagnosed HIV positive two weeks earlier. Raja Rao had made contact with Cheyutha at a clinic day in Bhongir, where he was given emergency counselling for the shock and confusion he had been experiencing since his HIV test.
Although initially he had been reluctant to share the news with his family, a much more positive Raja Rao turned up at the family day, along with his wife, children and younger brothers. Meeting other families affected by HIV, plus a negative initial HIV test result given to his wife and children, have now given Raja Rao hope for the future. He plans to continue to use the family counselling and information services offered by Cheyutha.
