Title: Equalizing Gender Relationships in the context of HIV/AIDS A joint project of the Indian Railways and UNIFEM South Asia Regional Office August 16,2005
1Equalizing Gender Relationships in the
context of HIV/AIDSA joint project of the
Indian Railways and UNIFEM South Asia Regional
Office August 16,2005
2Context
- A unique opportunity for UNIFEM to partner a
public sector undertaking and for the Railways to
engender their initiatives - The challenge of making gender equality and human
rights perspectives central to the work on
HIV/AIDS and facilitate interventions that are
multi-sector and convergent in nature - To demonstrate that focused, integrated community
approaches to gender equality based on enabling
legislation and policies, can contribute to
lowering HIV/AIDS prevalence rates, to reducing
stigma and discrimination and mitigating the
epidemics social and economic impact
3Background
- MoU between UNIFEM and the Indian Railways signed
in December 2002 for a period of three years - Active support from South Central Railways and
their institutions - MoU with The Norwegian Agency for Development
Cooperation, New Delhi and UNIFEM in 2002 - Financial support from other partners The UN
Trust Fund for Human Security, UNDP, and UNFPA - The Railways Womens Empowerment and AIDS
Prevention Society (REAPS) registered in January
2003 as the implementing arm of the project - Strategic Partnership with the South Central
Railways Vijayawada Division Womens Welfare
Organization
4 VIJAYAWADA DIVISION -1327 kms. -30,000
employees -1.5 million population -15 Health
Units -Divisional HQ. Hospital -261 living with
HIV 36 couples - Deaths since 1994 - 300
5Development Objective To prevent the spread
of HIV/AIDS epidemic in India Project
Objectives
- Strengthen the capacity of Indian Railways in
gender sensitive counseling services - Enhance understanding about the fundamental link
between gender and HIV/AIDS
6Strategy
- 1. Building a cadre of peer counselors through
diverse entry points - Schools and junior colleges
- Mahila Samiti
- Health Units
- Running rooms engine drivers rest rooms wagon
depots - Technical Institutes
- Trade Unions
- Community and households.
- 2. Catalyzing the Railway Institutions and
creating an enabling environment for
gender-responsive mechanisms/policies and
relations -
7Outputs
- Outcome of counseling process
- Reduced stigma and isolation
- Increased ability to access information
- Development of an enabling environment for people
to discuss hidden issues - Opening new space for community interaction and
interventions - Increased responsiveness from community
- Enhanced capacities of peer educators and other
key representatives resulting in reduced risk
behavior - More positive and rights based attitudes towards
PLWHAs in the railway community - Increased support for women in households
affected by HIV/AIDS - Enabling policy and program advocacy to promote
gender equality in the railway community
8Evidence Based Processes
- Counselling Needs Assessment - 250 individuals
from five different circles of the railway
community (2002) - Credit Needs Assessment - 47 PLWHAs and their
families 5 sample districts to assess the
economic impact of HIV and debt burden on
individuals and their families - KABP study - 2970 individuals to gauge knowledge
levels on gender and HIV indicators ( 2003-04) - KABP study with 5 Railways schools - 777
students from class IX and X (2003) - Communications Needs Assessment Qualitative
study, projective techniques and indicative
guides on gender sensitive issues and notions of
masculinity (2004)
9Indian Railways and UNIFEM
Research Committee
Advisory Committee
Technical experts
SCR Zone
Partners
DRM and team
Governing body
Mahila Samiti
REAPS Project Director Team
President SCRWWO
Resource Agencies
Peer Counselors
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1149 Peer Counsellors Backbone of the Project
- Trained by Dr Jacob John and his dedicated team
from CMC Vellore - Personalized individual and group counseling to
members (women, men and children) at workplace,
schools, homes, public spaces, community sites - Make referrals to the hospital and to the SC
Railway Welfare Organisation for credit funds,
hospitals, VCTC - Provide technical inputs into all research,
- IEC and materials being developed
- for the community
- REAPS team has now trained the new batch of
- counsellors with support from CMC
- POPULATION OF 1,83,251 COVERED
12Multi-faceted roles
- Counselling related to HIV testing
- Working with the family members
- Cases of suicide and attempted suicide
alcoholism grief and bereavement - Home-based care dealing with denial anxiety
depression anti retroviral therapy struggles
between women and men - Working with the children in a family education
of girl child early marriage - Homosexual relationships
- Empowering women to negotiate safer sex
practices sex and sexuality wanting to get
married - How to handle stigma and discrimination
- Coming to terms with being HIV positive
relationships, secrecy, health and work - They have to build their skills on
- Time management, creative and critical thinking,
- Advocacy, planning, settings goals for each
session, opening and closing sessions - Working with individuals and groups, health
education and counselling - Building a referral base, networking with others
in their area, - How to avoid burnout
- By institutionalising certain practices the
counsellors have motivated themselves and each
other
13 REAPS supervisory roles resource
centre telephone helpline advocacy and
networking support to the Division
community Undertaking studies, campaigns M/E
Facilitating technical expertise
Gender sensitive life skills training
Activities
Schools/Junior Colleges Life skills
education Sensitization of parents Teachers Int
egration into curriculum
Gender and Rights Training
Knowledge Products Newsletters, Fliers,
directories of NGOs
Resource Center in the Railway Hospital
14 Health Units/Hospitals High risk groups
screened Patient friendly checklist Provision of
maternity services to positive women Wider
outreach for improved access to
treatment Increasing nos. of women accessing
VCTC Study visits Personalized messages for
positive and affected
Community - sensitization and linkages/referrals
Directing Persons to VCTC Railway hospital
EXHIBITIONS, CAMPAIGNS, RALLIES
15COMMUNICATIONS Strategy on Gender sensitive tools
and processes POSTERS, HOARDINGS, 60 SEC. SPOT
for CC T.V.
I know the importance of protection (same for
both) But does he/she? We need to talk. Safe
sexual relationship is the foundation for a happy
life. Talk to your peer counselor for answers to
your queries. Peer counselors advice leads you
towards a happy and healthy life. Complete
information keeps AIDS at bay.
16Support group of Positive people
Trade Unions Mazdoor Union SC/ST
Association Stigma and discrimination Compassionat
e appointment
REVOLVING FUND
SCRWWO Revolving fund Sanctioning Committee 46
loans around 5 lacs Social empowerment
Training in income generation Linkages for
marketing and upgrading entrepreneurial Skills
17Training for other agencies fund raising
Revolving fund Sanctioning Committee 46 loans
Networking and Alliance Building
Enabling environment
Compassionate appointments Providing one stop
facility for ART Inclusion of HIV issues at all
policy meetings Openness to discuss gender issues
and responsible male behaviors
18Key Results
- A significant baseline developed at several entry
points - A trained cadre of more than 65 peer counselors -
Outreach to approx. 1,83,251 - During week long campaigns alone outreach is
45,954 - Pushkaran mela July 2004 - In the last 6 months 11,260 women and 15,685 men
and 3,002 covered in counseling sessions - 1604 individuals have benefited from VCTC and
increased nos. of women for testing noted 814
women accessed VCT services in 2003-05 period
compared to 790 males - Jan April 2005 No. of persons visited 211
male-98 and female -113 No. of positive cases
22 - Currently 71 people are on ART 12 are women and
linkages strengthened with positive people - 2100 students trained in life skills education
-
19Contd
- Loans from revolving funds 46 women amounting
to close to - Rs. 5 lacs another 15 applications under
consideration - Process documentation and communications campaign
and products successfully launched and evaluated
Phase I - Rich documentation - Case records, verbatims
- Enabling environment created - High level
commitment at Policy levels and proactive
leadership - Select up-scaling sensitization in Guntur
lessons being shared - Second generation training peer counselors and
supervisors are resource persons - Showcasing project work at several for a
national and international - Dr Heyzers high level visit to the project area
in May 2005
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