HIV-positive women earn a living,respect

Like NPM +,networks of HIV-positive people in 34 other districts have initiated income generation projects under a programme by the Network of Maharashtra People Living With HIV.

As the women with NPM+ marked Women’s Day on Monday,Savitri spoke of her journey since she and her husband had been diagnosed with HIV in 2000. She had been forced to leave her in-laws’ house with her ailing husband and four children. Two years later,she lost her husband to AIDS.

Left to raise her four children,she took up a job as a domestic. “I earned three to four thousand a month,enough for my children’s fees and our household. But last year I seriously fell ill and the doctor advised me to avoid working with water.”

She did odd jobs. “I asked medical social workers at Sion Hospital,where I was on antiretroviral treatment,for jobs; they directed me to NPM+.”

Bharti Sonawane,president of NPM+,said their focus had until now been on awareness about HIV and AIDS,access to care and treatment. “But while offering these services,we realised a lot of HIV-positive women are facing problems seeking jobs,” she said.

Savitri was then absorbed in a women’s self-help group formed by the organisation. “This group was formed two years ago with the intention of helping women infected with HIV. We realised they need some source of income,” said Aruna Bere,treasurer at NPM+.

“If I don’t learn it is OK but I want my kids to be well educated,” said a frail-looking Savitri. Her eldest son,20,is in engineering college,and the other three are in standards XII,X and VIII. Savitri is happy that now she is doing a less stressful and a dignified job,and that her kids are proud of her. “My neighbours now talk to me and I have gained a lot of self-respect.”

Savitri not only operates a Xerox machine but also makes decorative artificial flowers with seven other women in self-help groups. For every 100 flowers she makes,she gets Rs 10. “I learnt the art of making artificial decorative flowers from a neighbour and now I take orders from a company in Gorai. Though we have the skill to make decorative flowers,what we need to learn is business tactics or communication skills,” said Rupa,one of the HIV-positive women in the group.

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