| Location: Ongole, Andhra Pradesh |
| Number of Fellows: 1 |
| Language: Telugu |
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Over two centuries ago, the Dommara community migrated from northern India to coastal Andhra Pradesh in South India. Though traditionally a fishing community, they were revered for their talents as magicians and gymnasts. During the harvest season, they would travel to nearby villages and showcase their talents. Villagers would give them grains and other produce in exchange for their performances. Over time, the villagers stopped compensating them with food products, and many Dommara women were forced into prostitution as the only way to sustain their families.
Today, most Dommara girls believe they are destined for a life of prostitution. This mindset pervades because of habit, ignorance, lack of other opportunities, and their limited vision to dream. The Society for Help Entire Lower & Rural People (HELP) was created to inspire new generations of Dommara children to break the cycle and create new lives for themselves.
In 1993 journalist Ramamohan NVS, adopted a few Dommara children when he learned that their mothers had committed suicide to escape their lives as commercial sex workers. As Ramamohan and his journalist friends learned more about the power dynamics and coercive forces that dominated the trafficking industry, they established HELP to break the cycle in the Dommara community.
At the core of its program are two residential schools for the children of sex-workers in Machavaram, and Kanaparthi, Andhra Pradesh. The girls school in Machavaram hosts 65 girls (ages 4-17). The boys school in Kanaparthi has 13 students. At these residential schools, HELP seeks to empower the children through education, vocational trainings, and nurturing a “Yes I can” attitude in life. Many of the children are first generation learners. Older children attend vocational trainings in handicrafts, bakery and bag manufacturing. They attend classes in the evening. HELP also engages various professionals such as journalists, doctors, engineers, lawyers, teachers, and social workers to conduct sessions and guide the children on various career paths.
The children at HELP have faced various traumas, stigmas, and challenges in the early years of their lives. However, they have also demonstrated incredibly strong willpower, resilience, and desire to change their own lives. HELP’s vision is to implement a curriculum to help these children build self-esteem, stand on their own feet, and face the world with confidence. Hopefully, with love, kindness, and guidance, they will amass the tools necessary to overcome their traumatic pasts. HELP encourages older children to mentor the younger ones in hopes that these children will eventually take over the HELP program and become the instruments of change for their own communities. HELP also conducts: (1) active campaigns against girl-child trafficking and child-prostitution, (2) AIDS-awareness campaigns and entrepreneurship training for target communities, and (3) a non-formal education center for Dommara girls and children of sex workers. In 2000, HELP forged a Network Against Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation in Andhra Pradesh (NATSAP) with likeminded organizations to combat trafficking of women and children.
Social stigma attached with HIV prohibits the affected families from coming out in the open and seeking treatment. Children from these families usually need preventative medication to avoid infection, if they have not already contracted the disease. HELP has formed support groups consisting of a panchayat (village government) member, a school teacher, a health official, self-help group members, Anganwadi (Government child care centers) members, and youth group members. The support groups help identify and care for HIV families. The support groups provide information about HIV, assist with the education and health of children, and advocate on the family’s behalf for fair treatment in village services.
Need for Project:
Since 2006, HELP has expanded activities in 175 villages around Ongole, Andhra Pradesh to identify and provide care for families affected by HIV. The organization has a team of 25 dedicated staff members involved in this project as coordinators, field workers and counselors. The HELP support groups play a very important role in disseminating information to the community. Children with a HIV-positive family member may require preventative medication to avoid contracting the disease. HELP administers antiretroviral therapy (ART), subsidizes education (books, fees and uniform), and provides nutritional supplements.
HELP plans to strengthen the support groups by running various activities and programs on HIV/AIDS care and protection. HELP seeks to build a set of tools and methods to deliver better health-care services to those suffering from or at high risk of HIV infection.
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As an August 2010 Indicorps Fellow, you will strengthen the effort of HELP support groups to provide care and protection to children affected by HIV. Initially, you should shadow HELP staff member to understand the needs and challenges. You will invest energy in grasping the psychological & physical condition of children living with HIV.
You should attend support group meetings to understand the current level of activities and efforts. Next, you will prepare programs with HELP staff and support group members to motivate children and their families to overcome the society induced stigma. You will have to be very patient and creative in promoting the larger “dignity of leading life despite HIV” message. You could structure a series of activities such as documentaries, peer group discussions and motivating talks by real life heroes.
You will link support groups to government offices, private institutions, mental health experts and other non-profit organizations to provide counseling and care. You may need to accompany family members to these sessions/offices. As you engage them in professional services, you will also need to ensure their emotional well being. You should explore other ways to build solidarity and self-esteem in the children and their groups. You may encourage sports and team games with reflection sessions to capture the learnings.
Finally it will be imperative to thoroughly document all findings/observations, lesson plans and feedback. Proper documentation will allow for replication and scalability of best practices.
Target Community:
Your target community will be village communities within a 60 km radius of Ongole. Farming and labor are the two main occupations of the area. Most villagers have small land holdings of one to two acres; many migrate to other villages or nearby cities for work. Women perform both household and farming duties.
Objectives:
• To assist in providing care and support to HIV affected children in Ongole
• To connect affected families to local service providers
• To encourage the dignity of leading life despite HIV
Challenges:
• Traveling extensively within rural villages
• Handling sensitive matters and maintaining requisite confidentiality
• Maintaining tremendous patience and genuine compassion for affected families and the caregivers themselves
Team-Based Model:
Each project is designed as a three-way partnership between you, Indicorps, and the partner organization. Each grassroots partner organization – in this case HELP – will be hosting two to four Fellows. Consequently, the August 2010 Fellowship will have both an individual and a team component.
As a team of Indicorps Fellows, your focus is to strengthen HELP’s efforts to assist a community caught in a cycle of commercial sex work. Team members will focus on different area including building self-esteem in children of sex workers and HIV/AIDS awareness, care and counseling.
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