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Fact Sheet - Australia’s HIV/AIDS Program in the North-East
The Government of Australia funded HIV and AIDS Prevention and Care project in the North-eastern states was launched on 12 October 2007 in New Delhi.
Australia will provide US$ 8.9 million for the five-year project, which will aim at reducing the risk and impact of HIV in the Northeast with a special focus on the states of Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland. These states have significant HIV prevalence and represent a major hotspot of known HIV prevalence in India. HIV transmission in these states has largely been through networks of injecting drug users (IDUs). UN agencies will work closely with the Government of India in implementing the project.
The project will have the following components:
1. Capacity Building:
Purpose: The project will strengthen the capacity of State AIDS Control Societies for strategic planning, co- ordination and monitoring and evaluation for an integrated response to HIV/AIDS in each state. Strengthening the capacity of these institutions would go a long way in strengthening the response against HIV.
The project will:
- Support evidence-based annual planning processes for an integrated response.
- Support leadership development programs for senior staff of State AIDS Control Societies and community opinion makers.
- Support competency based training programs in planning, co-ordination, Monitoring and Evaluation.
2. Advocacy and Intersectoral Collaboration
Purpose: The project will galvanise state governments, civil society and media in HIV prevention, care and treatment.
The project will:
- Support State-level collaboration between State AIDS Control Societies, Departments of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Labour and Department of Education.
- Build capacity of networks of people living with HIV and community based organisations.
3. Care and Support for women and children
Purpose: The project will establish an integrated response to provide HIV care and support services especially for women and children.
Women by virtue of the socio-cultural influences can avail of fewer opportunities for education and employment. Even in the absence of high risk behaviour many contract HIV from their spouses and face higher levels of stigma and discrimination in the community. Poverty, abandonment or widowhood forces women into the sex work increasing risk of transmission of STI/HIV. It is often seen that vulnerability of women and children largely centre on food, security and health care. The programme seeks to address the needs of women and children by initiating a network of community based services to address STI/HIV care needs.
The project will:
- Strengthen community based programme responses that facilitate increase to access, availability and acceptability of care and support services.
- Strengthen the capacities of the State governments and civil society partners to evolve effective mechanisms to address the special concerns of women and children.
- Support a convergent response which will include covering and strengthening efforts directed at overall care and support for infected and affected communities including male partners.
4. State Specific Innovations
Purpose: State specific and innovative interventions will be implemented in each state. Participatory approaches will be adopted to develop innovative prevention initiatives, including training of large cadres of young people and adopting safer practices and behaviours to reduce vulnerabilities. The project will actively involve communities in the implementation of harm reduction and HIV risk reduction programmes for Intravenous Drug Users.
The project will:
- Support development and implementation of youth-friendly HIV prevention initiatives through community organisations
- Support harm reduction initiative primarily through community-based detoxification services
- Support harm reduction initiative primarily through advocacy to strengthen on-going HIV risk reduction activities among IDUs
- Provide support in development of specific awareness and HIV education initiatives
Project Launch:
Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Panabaka Lakshmi and Convener Parliamentarians Forum, Oscar Fernandes attended the launch. Officials from UN agencies and National AIDS Control Organization were also present.
Other projects:
Australia’s previous involvement in the North-East region through HIV/AIDS initiatives include the SHALOM project (a three-year long project initiated in Manipur between 1994-97 for the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS); the India-Australia capacity building training project (a series of teaching modules on HIV/AIDS); and the Prevention of transmission of HIV among drug users in SAARC countries project (aimed at strengthening the capacities of State governments and civil society organizations to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS among injecting drug users in the SAARC region).