HIV positive children cry for attention:
MADURAI: Five-year-old Chittu (name changed), a UKG student, is today a bubbly girl who is the cynosure of all eyes at the Russ Foundation in Madurai, where she lives along with 10 other HIV positive parentless boys and girls. But her early childhood was one of hardship and there are many out in the community in want of attention.
According to Berlin Jose, founder-director of Russ Foundation, each of these children have a story of their own, but have successfully come out of their trauma and are doing well in the mainstream education system. Chittu for example was born to a female sex worker who made her income on the streets of Madurai. The woman who had a partner who was already married and had two children, was being used by him to make money. When she became sick and realized she was going to die of AIDS, she brought her three-year-old child, who was already begging on the streets of Madurai, to the home for adoption. She died a few days later. Her partner, however, who could not prove that he was the biological father of this child, was reluctant to give up the child because he had already chalked out plans to make money by making her beg. "We went through a tough battle with him before the authorities handed her over to us," said Jose.
Initially, the girl's stomach which was used to scavenging on food on the roadside, could not tolerate the well cooked warm food offered at the home. This HIV positive child suffered frequent bouts of diarrhoea. Staff at the home sometimes found her searching garbage bins for food and feeding on leftovers. "It took us two whole months to bring her around and now she is doing very well in a normal school," he said.
Apart from the children of the home, the foundation also works with 77 HIV positive children living in the community and about 650 non-infected children of HIV positive parents.
This foundation has been able to successfully integrate HIV positive girls and boys into mainstream society, by their regular counseling and life skills classes. But according to Jose, girls more than boys face a lot of trauma on attaining puberty because society tries to stigmatize them as immoral persons. "This is when they start hating their parents who are no longer alive. These girls become suicidal and depressed and need a lot of handholding to start realizing their potential as good individuals in society," he said.
Boys on the other hand start thinking of life ahead and a future. Kumar, a boy who was expelled from a home for his mischief, is today a sturdy 18-year-old pursuing his SSLC at this home. He is also a caring brother to the smaller children; he wants to take up a career as a mechanical engineer. Selvam on the other hand who was brought to the home by his grandmother and aunt because his other relatives did not want him among them has no wish to study. But he is good with gadgets and wants to look after his grandmother and aunt well.
On World AIDS Day, these children had a feast with 800 others to celebrate the occasion and look forward to life ahead.
Jose says it is encouraging that the incidence of HIV/AIDS has come down in the state but added that the government should formulate a policy for the care and support for persons living with HIV/AIDS. "In no way should AIDS control programmes be relaxed because there are many who still have not been brought back into mainstream society," he adds.
According to Berlin Jose, founder-director of Russ Foundation, each of these children have a story of their own, but have successfully come out of their trauma and are doing well in the mainstream education system. Chittu for example was born to a female sex worker who made her income on the streets of Madurai. The woman who had a partner who was already married and had two children, was being used by him to make money. When she became sick and realized she was going to die of AIDS, she brought her three-year-old child, who was already begging on the streets of Madurai, to the home for adoption. She died a few days later. Her partner, however, who could not prove that he was the biological father of this child, was reluctant to give up the child because he had already chalked out plans to make money by making her beg. "We went through a tough battle with him before the authorities handed her over to us," said Jose.
Initially, the girl's stomach which was used to scavenging on food on the roadside, could not tolerate the well cooked warm food offered at the home. This HIV positive child suffered frequent bouts of diarrhoea. Staff at the home sometimes found her searching garbage bins for food and feeding on leftovers. "It took us two whole months to bring her around and now she is doing very well in a normal school," he said.
Apart from the children of the home, the foundation also works with 77 HIV positive children living in the community and about 650 non-infected children of HIV positive parents.
This foundation has been able to successfully integrate HIV positive girls and boys into mainstream society, by their regular counseling and life skills classes. But according to Jose, girls more than boys face a lot of trauma on attaining puberty because society tries to stigmatize them as immoral persons. "This is when they start hating their parents who are no longer alive. These girls become suicidal and depressed and need a lot of handholding to start realizing their potential as good individuals in society," he said.
Boys on the other hand start thinking of life ahead and a future. Kumar, a boy who was expelled from a home for his mischief, is today a sturdy 18-year-old pursuing his SSLC at this home. He is also a caring brother to the smaller children; he wants to take up a career as a mechanical engineer. Selvam on the other hand who was brought to the home by his grandmother and aunt because his other relatives did not want him among them has no wish to study. But he is good with gadgets and wants to look after his grandmother and aunt well.
On World AIDS Day, these children had a feast with 800 others to celebrate the occasion and look forward to life ahead.
Jose says it is encouraging that the incidence of HIV/AIDS has come down in the state but added that the government should formulate a policy for the care and support for persons living with HIV/AIDS. "In no way should AIDS control programmes be relaxed because there are many who still have not been brought back into mainstream society," he adds.
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