Report: WAD 2011 – SOWING THE SEED

MDACS (Mumbai District AIDS Control Society) and MAVIM (Mahila Arthik Vikas Mahamandal) came together to conduct HITGUJ AROGYACHE, an advocacy workshop targeting women from the lower strata of society.

The objective of the 2-day workshop 

• To empower women with knowledge on HIV/AIDS – prevention, treatment, care, support, STI management, safer sex practice and MDACS services that are available for all these.
• The women were also made aware of the stigma and discrimination that could possibly occur in society.

The Target Group

• This consisted of 9 Sahayoginis; 2 staff members; representatives from 26 pockets; representatives of Basti Level Committee; LoksanchalitSadhan Kendra and NGOs.
• 35 women participated in the workshop conducted on April 26 & 27, 2011.

The plan for 2011-12 

• To reach out to 7000 women beneficiaries of 500 SHGs (Self-Help Groups) that are found all around Mumbai. They will give correct and consistent knowledge to their family members. This means that MDACS will actually reach out to 21,000 people (SC, Minority and others from slum areas & BPL category) of Mumbai.

The Mission

• Special IEC material was printed and distributed to AROGYA SAKHIs and the people they had planned to reach out to. These were in Marathi and Hindi.
• 123 peer educators (Arogyasakhis) were trained through 4 more workshops that were organised to ensure that they reach out to the target.
• These 123 Arogyasakhis were to reach out to 7000 women beneficiaries of 500 SHGs (Self-Help Groups) that are found all around Mumbai. They will give correct and consistent knowledge to their family members.

Achievements

• Publicity was made in advance at all the locations where the World AIDS Day programme was to be conducted.
• The political leaders who were in charge locally were all invited to be involved in the activities, taking the awareness to a different level altogether.
• Through the 75 street-plays that were performed, a crowd of 13,359 people were reached as against the target of 7000.
• In all, MDACS reached out to 40,077 people belonging to SC, Minority and others from slum areas and BPL category of Mumbai City.
• The major breakthrough was that the 123 Arogyasakhis could reach out to the kind of women who used to hesitate even to talk about sex to their own husbands.

Result:

• The workshops helped the slum women come into their own. They were so well trained that they could spread the word on HIV / AIDS prevention to the other women in their own areas, with confidence.
• This resulted in their acquiring their own identity in society and respect among their peers.
• More than all that, these women gained a lot of respect at home, where generally they were treated like doormats before.

IMPACT

The success story of the Arogyasakhis gave birth to the concept of WORLD AIDS DAY 2011.

THE PLAN

A meeting was set up to plan the concept to be adopted during the World AIDS Day campaign this year. It was planned over five days at five different venues across Mumbai City.

The objective was to mobilize women from across Mumbai city in these 5 zones and use Entertainment Education as a format to bring about awareness on HIV.

Games were played with these women where the following messages were given out through entertainment:

• HIV, modes of transmission
• Myths and Misconceptions
• Prevention
• Services of MDACS
               1. Testing
               2. STI
               3. ART
               4. Helpline

A celebrity was to be invited on each day who would give these messages. Advocacy through these celebrities definitely would result in an impact.