They all line up to adopt HIV kids

In fact, Soorya had actually badgered an orphanage to let her adopt the child, knowing fully well her HIV positive status. This, despite having two sons—Surender and Narender—of her own and barely being able to make ends meet. She works in a butcher’s shop and her husband, Gajendran, is a ‘‘load man’’ for a transport company.

When Soorya had brought Shubha to her colony, she was a scrawny nine-month-old. She had been picked from the streets by the Chennai-based non-government organisation—Community Health Education Society (CHES)—which provides care for orphaned HIV positive children.

She had been abandoned by her relatives who found her ‘‘repulsive.’’ ‘‘When I first saw her at the CHES Home, she was undernourished, her bones were sticking out, and her body, face and scalp were covered with oozing scabs,’’ Soorya recalled, cuddling Shubha tighter into her bosom.

She was visiting the Home as part of a AIDS awareness drill she went through as the leader of the Self-Help Group in her slum colony. ‘‘Shubha kept looking at us with her large eyes. They were so full of yearning for love and affection. I was extremely touched,’’ said Soorya.

While there were no laws or rules governing adoption of HIV-positive children, that too by families in the lowest economic bracket, CHES director, Dr P Manorama, was ready to take on the challenge after she received the government’s informal nod.

Shubha had already tested positive for HIV in the preliminary tests. The final test when she was 18 months old, came positive as well. But Soorya was adamant. She wanted to take the child home immediately and was not too keen on any more HIV tests.

But there were some procedures to be completed.

The CHES authorities had to be convinced that Shubha could lead a normal life with Soorya and her family. The organisation also had to ensure that the couple shared a comfortable relationship and looked after their own children well.

Only after the CHES was convinced, did it start the laborious paperwork. ‘‘I was impressed by her stubbornness and unswerving conviction. They would wait patiently for hours outside my office for the formalities to be completed. It took eight months,’’ said Dr Manorama.

That the experiment paid off is plain.

These days, Shubha wears a well-groomed, healthy look. Soorya dotes on her, and Gajendran picks her up the first thing after he gets back from work. Her little brothers, aged 8 and 10, adore her. Soorya’s relatives and the neighbours have enthusiastically embraced the new member into their fold.

Inspired by Soorya’s example, another woman in the same slum, Motcha Mary (38), also wanted to foster a child, Nithya, from the same CHES Home, which had 30 infected children, including six toddlers.

Now, twenty-two more women of the same colony are eagerly waiting in the queue. In a country of 1.4 million HIV-positive children, the gestures of Soorya and Motcha Mary are rare.