CASE STUDY: WOMEN’S SHGs ADVOCATES AIDS PREVENTION AND LOCAL ISSUES

Prayas has worked to expand the Partnership for Sexual Health Project to address local problems in the slum areas that were not initially included in the HIV/AIDS intervention. This case study tells about the experience gained in a local village.

Jondvas was one of villages seriously affected by the 2001 earthquake. Women in the village had in general always been very vulnerable due to local traditions and the earthquake made their situation even worse.

Even though the problems were not directly related to the HIV/AIDS Program the attempt within this program to create enabling environments made it a natural step to make a combined effort to address the issues. The general idea behind the women SHGs is to inform the members about their rights and entitlements and teach them to assert those rights and to strengthen their capacities by linking them with various support systems available within and outside the community. This was not far from what the enabling environments tries to achieve.

Along with the program to empower and create awareness among the women Prayas succeeded in forming a very strong group of local women. It was so well functioning that it was capable of facilitate the entire process of strengthening local woman. The group now holds regular meetings with high-risk women to make them aware about their rights and identify and solve their problems.

Every month representatives from different slums meets to discuss issues and problems to develop strategies for larger advocacy on HIV/AIDS prevention and women’s issues in general.

The SHGs have in last few months have been able to solve a number of cases related to local problems like drinking water, electricity, violence against HIV/AIDS infected families, through dialog and pressure on the local government and police. As a result the groups have become highly accepted by local women and many of them have asked to join it.