Reducing adult HIV infection rates to generate reduction in AIDS-related orphaning

With approximately 2.5 million people currently living with HIV in India, the epidemic has reached catastrophic proportions. Over 90% of HIV-positive people in India do not know that they are carrying the virus. There is an urgent need to spread HIV awareness and treatment throughout the country, especially within rural areas.

In 1991, FXB International established itself in India. Since 2003, FXB is the only NGO working in the field of HIV and AIDS that is present in all the 35 States and Union Territories of India. All of its programs are based on the premise that a reduction in adult HIV infection rate will necessarily generate a reduction in AIDS-related orphaning. In this context, HIV prevention and control are the foundations of FXB activities: all programs provide a comprehensive package of services, including awareness-raising sessions, preventive education, voluntary counseling and testing services, condom distribution, access to treatment and nutritional support.

Conscious of economic, social and cultural specificities within the country, FXB implements generalized outreach interventions as well as targeted interventions to address the particular needs of "at risk" groups. FXB has developed effective strategies that encourage community involvement, promote ownership and ensure sustainability.

Video:  The FXB-Village in Mizoram

Strategies:

• Orphans and Vulnerable Children Projects include caring for the children of sex workers, protecting street children, training and care for orphans. Projects for school children and informal education and awareness for children not attending schools tend to minimize the high risk behavior amongst them.
• Targeted interventions with at risk marginalized groups. Included as risk groups are migrant workers away from home for long periods of time, fishermen who do the same, slum dwellers, and injecting drug users. Since FXB is in all the states of India, we are able to sensitize and target both the migrants and their families back home in a cost-effective manner.
• Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV and AIDS with an extensive outreach program with a referral network to ensure the maximum coverage and antenatal care referral along with quality HIV counseling and testing for pregnant women.
• Awareness and Preventive Education Outreach are innovative HIV and AIDS education and mass awareness programs, for example, for barbers and their customers, interventions in bars, and HIV and AIDS counseling by telephone.
• FXB Voluntary Counseling Center and Sexually Transmitted Diseases Clinic. These centers provide the quality counseling and testing/referral for screening of STDs and treatment for the most important core high risk and bridging groups of the target population.
• Workplace interventions where HIV and AIDS education programs are brought into the workplaces such as technology parks and jute mills and other industries.
• HIV and AIDS Care and Treatment. FXB Centers for HIV and AIDS Care and Treatment have well trained medical personnel coupled with the health facilities to deliver effective care to the target population in the most cost effective manner without compromising on the quality of care.