NGO / CBO Meet 2010
FPA India, Mumbai Branch
1st Floor, Radhika Residency, Near Tilaknagar Railway Station, Mahatma Phule Nagar, CTS 46-B (PT), Tilaknagar (W), Mumbai – 400 089
FPA India, Mumbai Branch
1st Floor, Radhika Residency, Near Tilaknagar Railway Station, Mahatma Phule Nagar, CTS 46-B (PT), Tilaknagar (W), Mumbai – 400 089
NGO/CBO Meet for Networking:
FPA India Mumbai Branch organized an NGO/CBO Meet on June 18, 2010 at Avabai Wadia Health Center (AWHC), Tilak Nagar for experience sharing of JTF supported MSM Project achievements implemented during 2008 - 2010 and introduction of Positive Prevention among PLHIVs Project being implemented by FPA India Mumbai Branch during 2010–2012.
After welcome, the meeting began with the Power Point presentation on JTF funded MSM Project. Explaining the successful implementation of the Project Ms. Jugnu Doshi, Clinic Secretary, AWHC highlighted the co-operation and timely support extended by NGOs/CBOs working with the sexual minorities in capacity building of the Branch staff in providing quality SRH services to Sexual Minorities with greater sensitivity. She also referred to continued referral of MSMs by NGOs/CBOs, which had helped the MSM project to successfully serve 89 female partners of the MSM who were in need of sexual & reproductive health (SRH). She specially mentioned the timely support that the Project had received from Hum Safer Trust, Sakhi Char Choughi, Aarju Foundation and Udaan Secretariat. At the end of the presentation she informed that that integrated SRH services would continue to be provided to the sexual minorities in all the Branch clinics including the AWHC, which would start functioning soon.
Sharing his experience of working with FPA India Mumbai Branch MSM Project, Mr. Manoj Jani, President, Aarju Foundation appreciated the facilities created by FPA India Mumbai Branch for MSM and their female partners to access integrated SRH services. Creation of a friendly environment in FPAI Clinics having sensitised staff and not being branded to be serving only a particular kind of target groups helped a large number of married MSM and their female partners to avail services without stigma and discrimination. He informed that the Aarju Foundation would continue referring needy MSM and their female partners to FPA India Mumbai Branch Clinics for SRH services. Gouri Sawant, President, Sakhi Char Choughi also shared experiences of Sakhi Char Choughi clients especially Hijras/TG and the male sex partners of Hijras/TG availing SRH services at Branch Clinics without stigma. She also conveyed that Sakhi Char Choughi would continue to refer Hijras/TG and their male sex partners to Mumbai Branch clinics.
Mr. Shivaji Kare, Programme Manager, FPA India Mumbai Branch spoke about the Positive Prevention Project, the new initiative of FPA India Mumbai Branch for providing positive prevention services to PLHIV in Mumbai and Thane districts. Through a Power Point Presentation, he explained the objectives of Positive Prevention Project and conveyed that FPA India Mumbai Branch is committed to provide quality SRH services to the PLHIVs with the objective to cause delay in HIV disease progression and sought the support from all other NGOs working for PLHIVS.
Dr. Alka Gogate, FPA India Mumbai Branch Volunteer, and Ex-Project Director MDACS, highlighted the importance of networking to fulfill needs of sexual minorities. She pointed out that how big an organisation may be, it cannot on its own fulfill all the needs of PLHIVs. By way of illustration, she pointed out that the NGOs/CBOs who had been providing STI/HIV related services would not be able to provide ART, CD4 or SRH services She reiterated that each organization committed for certain aspect of services to HIV infected and affected persons, they would need to network and establish proper linkages with other organizations providing other services. She emphasiised that there is an urgent need for collective efforts for HIV prevention as well as care and support by various organizations working in these areas through proper networking and establishing linkages.
Dr. K. Seshagiri Rao, Vice President FPA India Mumbai Branch highlighted the need for ensuring community participation in meeting the needs of the PLHIVs and their sexual partners. He pointed out that each community whether a village community or a community of MSM or TG, will have its own specific needs. In most cases it would be difficult for one community to understand the needs of other community. Community participation approach helps the members of each community to become empowered to clearly think about the multiple needs of community members, express their requirements and seek support. Any NGO working for bringing about desirable changes in a community need to ensure that the community for which it would be working is actively involved through the process of empowerment. Community participation will contribute to identify the open and hidden needs of the community members, and develop the programmes to meet all those needs with the efforts of the members themselves, with the support of other communities and by networking for increased access to services as also for bringing about changes at the policy making as well as policy implementation levels. He shared the experience of FPAI in the application of community participation approach for increasing access to family planning services through women’s empowerment and male involvement.
FPA India Mumbai Branch organized an NGO/CBO Meet on June 18, 2010 at Avabai Wadia Health Center (AWHC), Tilak Nagar for experience sharing of JTF supported MSM Project achievements implemented during 2008 - 2010 and introduction of Positive Prevention among PLHIVs Project being implemented by FPA India Mumbai Branch during 2010–2012.
After welcome, the meeting began with the Power Point presentation on JTF funded MSM Project. Explaining the successful implementation of the Project Ms. Jugnu Doshi, Clinic Secretary, AWHC highlighted the co-operation and timely support extended by NGOs/CBOs working with the sexual minorities in capacity building of the Branch staff in providing quality SRH services to Sexual Minorities with greater sensitivity. She also referred to continued referral of MSMs by NGOs/CBOs, which had helped the MSM project to successfully serve 89 female partners of the MSM who were in need of sexual & reproductive health (SRH). She specially mentioned the timely support that the Project had received from Hum Safer Trust, Sakhi Char Choughi, Aarju Foundation and Udaan Secretariat. At the end of the presentation she informed that that integrated SRH services would continue to be provided to the sexual minorities in all the Branch clinics including the AWHC, which would start functioning soon.
Sharing his experience of working with FPA India Mumbai Branch MSM Project, Mr. Manoj Jani, President, Aarju Foundation appreciated the facilities created by FPA India Mumbai Branch for MSM and their female partners to access integrated SRH services. Creation of a friendly environment in FPAI Clinics having sensitised staff and not being branded to be serving only a particular kind of target groups helped a large number of married MSM and their female partners to avail services without stigma and discrimination. He informed that the Aarju Foundation would continue referring needy MSM and their female partners to FPA India Mumbai Branch Clinics for SRH services. Gouri Sawant, President, Sakhi Char Choughi also shared experiences of Sakhi Char Choughi clients especially Hijras/TG and the male sex partners of Hijras/TG availing SRH services at Branch Clinics without stigma. She also conveyed that Sakhi Char Choughi would continue to refer Hijras/TG and their male sex partners to Mumbai Branch clinics.
Mr. Shivaji Kare, Programme Manager, FPA India Mumbai Branch spoke about the Positive Prevention Project, the new initiative of FPA India Mumbai Branch for providing positive prevention services to PLHIV in Mumbai and Thane districts. Through a Power Point Presentation, he explained the objectives of Positive Prevention Project and conveyed that FPA India Mumbai Branch is committed to provide quality SRH services to the PLHIVs with the objective to cause delay in HIV disease progression and sought the support from all other NGOs working for PLHIVS.
Dr. Alka Gogate, FPA India Mumbai Branch Volunteer, and Ex-Project Director MDACS, highlighted the importance of networking to fulfill needs of sexual minorities. She pointed out that how big an organisation may be, it cannot on its own fulfill all the needs of PLHIVs. By way of illustration, she pointed out that the NGOs/CBOs who had been providing STI/HIV related services would not be able to provide ART, CD4 or SRH services She reiterated that each organization committed for certain aspect of services to HIV infected and affected persons, they would need to network and establish proper linkages with other organizations providing other services. She emphasiised that there is an urgent need for collective efforts for HIV prevention as well as care and support by various organizations working in these areas through proper networking and establishing linkages.
Dr. K. Seshagiri Rao, Vice President FPA India Mumbai Branch highlighted the need for ensuring community participation in meeting the needs of the PLHIVs and their sexual partners. He pointed out that each community whether a village community or a community of MSM or TG, will have its own specific needs. In most cases it would be difficult for one community to understand the needs of other community. Community participation approach helps the members of each community to become empowered to clearly think about the multiple needs of community members, express their requirements and seek support. Any NGO working for bringing about desirable changes in a community need to ensure that the community for which it would be working is actively involved through the process of empowerment. Community participation will contribute to identify the open and hidden needs of the community members, and develop the programmes to meet all those needs with the efforts of the members themselves, with the support of other communities and by networking for increased access to services as also for bringing about changes at the policy making as well as policy implementation levels. He shared the experience of FPAI in the application of community participation approach for increasing access to family planning services through women’s empowerment and male involvement.
Dr. Janaki Desai, President FPA India Mumbai Branch thanked all the NGOs/CBOs for the support they had been extending to FPA India Mumbai Branch in carrying out its various activities, particularly in serving the marginalized groups and appealed the participating in the meeting to continue their support for reaching out to such marginalized and under served groups including those with different sexual orientation. She assured that FPAI would continue to provide all the integrated services related to SRH and HIV under one roof and also networking with other NGOs for increasing accessibility of services and for carrying out advocacy with the Government on certain specific issues. She desired that FPA India Mumbai Branch and networking among the participating NGOs would lead to collective action that would to bring positive changes in the lives of sexual minorities and PLHIVs.
The open forum that followed brought out the following issues:
Issues to be addressed
Ø The number of ART centers available in Mumbai and Thane are inadequate when compared to the number of PLHIVs. The distance to be covered to reach the ART center particularly in Thane district is time consuming and economically costly. As a result, there are many defaulters among the PLHIV clients who are on ART.
Ø After care and support services are very limited in Mumbai. As a consequence, it is becoming very difficult for PLHIVs from High Risk Population, particularly with different sexual orientation to get admission in these centers.
Ø TGs find it difficult to access services in many of the hospitals as they cannot be classified either as Male or as Female. Male doctors are not comfortable because of their feminine nature; Female doctors are not comfortable because the male sexual origin.
Ø Community mobilisation efforts are needed for enabling PLHIVs and sexual minorities to raise their voice against stigma and discrimination for accessing the SRH services.
Agreement on some actions to be taken by NGOs
Ø NGOs should meet once a month to discuss various issues that are to be addressed based on the priority of the issue.
Ø It is desirable to have the monthly meeting of the networking NGOs on a Saturday
Ø Advocacy for provision of quality services to high risk groups without stigma and discriminations should be taken up with health service providers.
Ø Efforts should be made to increase accessibility of community, family and institution based care & support of the PLHIV to special groups like Hijras and orphan PLHIVs
Ø Sensitisation programmes are to be taken up for addressing the identity crisis of sexual minorities
Following NGOs and CBOs participated in the meet:
1. Network by People living with HIV in Mumbai (NPM+)
2. Sakhi Char Choughi Trust
3. Ekta Trust
4. CCDT
5. Network of Thane by People living with HIV (NTP+)
6. Sanjeevani
7. Sweekar Foundation
8. Humsaya Welfare Sanstha
9. Udaan Secretariat
10. Aarzu Foundation
11. Lawyers Collective
Issues to be addressed
Ø The number of ART centers available in Mumbai and Thane are inadequate when compared to the number of PLHIVs. The distance to be covered to reach the ART center particularly in Thane district is time consuming and economically costly. As a result, there are many defaulters among the PLHIV clients who are on ART.
Ø After care and support services are very limited in Mumbai. As a consequence, it is becoming very difficult for PLHIVs from High Risk Population, particularly with different sexual orientation to get admission in these centers.
Ø TGs find it difficult to access services in many of the hospitals as they cannot be classified either as Male or as Female. Male doctors are not comfortable because of their feminine nature; Female doctors are not comfortable because the male sexual origin.
Ø Community mobilisation efforts are needed for enabling PLHIVs and sexual minorities to raise their voice against stigma and discrimination for accessing the SRH services.
Agreement on some actions to be taken by NGOs
Ø NGOs should meet once a month to discuss various issues that are to be addressed based on the priority of the issue.
Ø It is desirable to have the monthly meeting of the networking NGOs on a Saturday
Ø Advocacy for provision of quality services to high risk groups without stigma and discriminations should be taken up with health service providers.
Ø Efforts should be made to increase accessibility of community, family and institution based care & support of the PLHIV to special groups like Hijras and orphan PLHIVs
Ø Sensitisation programmes are to be taken up for addressing the identity crisis of sexual minorities
Following NGOs and CBOs participated in the meet:
1. Network by People living with HIV in Mumbai (NPM+)
2. Sakhi Char Choughi Trust
3. Ekta Trust
4. CCDT
5. Network of Thane by People living with HIV (NTP+)
6. Sanjeevani
7. Sweekar Foundation
8. Humsaya Welfare Sanstha
9. Udaan Secretariat
10. Aarzu Foundation
11. Lawyers Collective
