Maitri...and what my mission is...

Plenty of people have been wondering what I'm doing this summer in India, so....I'll tell you, now that I actually have a better idea.

India has many problems tackling the huge HIV epidemic in India because of the stigma attached to the disease. India has the 3rd largest population of people infected with HIV in the world and 90% don't know that they are infected. Those who know that they have the disease often try to hide it from their family and friends because it is typical that they will be shamed and thrown out of their household if the knowledge is discovered. One of the populations that suffers the most is the women and children who have fathers in the armed services. Because these personnel spend a chunk of time (3-4 months at a time) away from their families, they are tempted by prostitutes to engage in sexual intercourse. Officers hold a great deal of power in their hands and they often abuse this power. Similarly, prostitutes sometimes throw themselves at officers because they are attracted to the power. Some officers even have an entirely separate family in other locations. Needless to say, these encounters are quick and people rarely use protection. When the husbands go back to their wives and engage in sexual intercourse they transmit the disease not only to the wife, but potentially to conceived children. When this is the case, it is often the wife and children who are thrown out of their house so this becomes a huge human rights issue and is especially problematic when the husband is aware of his disease.

To make matters worse, for a period of time the Indian government put a ban on all sex-education courses in the country. As a result, education on HIV/AIDS/STIs has been restricted. -Until about 2 weeks ago. There is now a strict sex-ed program that has been developed by the government and it is now a matter of getting the logistics into Maitri's hands so that we can use it to compliment our teachings of AIDS prevention.

Maitri is currently beginning programs to target 1. the police force, 2. construction workers and 3. students. They also have a separate education program for women to help them become self-sustainable and children who do not have access to basic education.

I will be in charge of developing the presentation for the first phase of our workshop for the police force. This workshop will target 1000 families and discuss the causes and symptoms of HIV/AIDS as well as tuberculosis and Hepatitis C. It will also have a peer counseling component in small groups so that wives can speak freely about their thoughts, questions, concerns etc.

I'm also going to be working in the classroom at Maitri's office and helping the teacher follow a curriculum that is more structured that the one that is currently in place. My guess is that I will probably be helping most with the English program.

So there you have it. My life for the next 3 months. :)