HIV Testing Camp

Today we are running an HIV testing camp.

Its the second time Jeevan Sahara has been asked to do so. We organised an HIV awareness and testing camp last month together with a local group called BIDS.

Last time we did an awareness meeting in a 'pandal' - a temporary shed which was constructed for the purpose - and local young men (mainly) came and listened to presentations about HIV - and a film that describes the way a person with HIV lives out his life - and the friendship another couple has for him.

The confidential counselling and blood taking was then done in the BIDS programme room. The picture on the right shows the blood taking equipment on a manual sewing machine stand that BIDS uses to help rehabilitate some of the women they are working with. We then took all the samples to our centre and processed them there. The post-test counselling was given the next day as people came to collect their samples.

Today's camp is different.

We are doing it quite a distance away from us - in the Navi Mumbai suburb of Airoli.

The programme is organised by two local churches. We are holding the public awareness meeting and movie show in one church - and doing the couselling, blood-taking, testing and post-test-counselling in the home of the pastor the other church. Since the location is far from our centre we will be giving the reports and doing the post-test counselling 'on-the-spot.' We expect that within 2-3 hours of being counselled, the person who gets tested will have been given their report and counselled about their next steps.

some of the participants in the awareness programme organised with BIDS last month

Its a new venture for us. New because the logistics of it all are quite different from what we have done so far. New because we will be using test-kits that have been given by the government as we are now a recognised local partner in the governments HIV testing programme. New because we have 2 amazing churches who are gung-ho to help out - who want their church members and others to be tested. And most importantly - who are ready to love and care for people with HIV.

We have seen these 2 churches in action already - and are proud to be able to help them out a bit with our expertise in this crucial area.

How many people will be tested today? We don't know. Its going to be a learning experience - but it will also be a life-changing one.

We were visited earlier this week by Dr. Shidabaram Nadesan (a.k.a. "Tygie") who is a senior consultant at McCord Hospital in Durban S. Africa. He told us that a quarter of the population is HIV positive. That 60% of the people admitted to his hospital are sick with HIV as well as the other infections they are being treated for. Though HIV is a terrible challenge in our country - we are still far from this situation - and by God's grace want to move farther and farther away from it.

Today's HIV testing camp - and the way that the churches are moving forward - are a small step in the direction we want to go!