HIV/AIDS Prevention Programme

SEWA, is giving priority to preventing and controlling HIV among populations at greater risk. The health initiative recognises that stigma and marginalisation experienced by high risk groups amplify risks and limit their ability to protect themselves and others. Therefore, SEWA aims to empower high-risk groups to enable improved negotiation and health seeking. The creation of an enabling environment and community mobilisation are the key programmatic strategies to address such vulnerability.

For persons with high risk behaviour, SEWA promotes health and occupational safety by promoting the use of condoms, providing access to STIs and other treatments, raising awareness about reproductive health, and encouraging voluntary HIV counselling and testing.

The major thrust of this prevention has been a targeted focus on the prevention of new infections among the populations most at risk, also termed “high risk groups” (HRGs). The health initiative also addresses bridge populations and special groups, such as truckers, migrants, prisoners, and partners etc.

The Targeted Intervention (TI) programme is the flagship prevention initiative of the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) for HIV and AIDS prevention. SEWA has been implementing the Targeted Intervention Project since 2005.

The project also promotes the rights to privacy, confidentiality, informed consent, and voluntary disclosure. Minimize stigma and discrimination as it drive people underground and make prevention even more difficult.  SEWA also builds a supportive and enabling legal environment, which is a fundamental cornerstone to preventing the epidemic.

The Targeted Intervention Project of SEWA has been providing various prevention services to HRGs and we have identified a sizable number of HRGs who avail of these services and have adopted positive behaviours. As a result of consistent condom use, harm reduction skills, and health-seeking behaviors, the majority of HRGs remain HIV-negative.

The outreach activities include Community Based Screening of HIV (CBSH), Navigation, Index testing, behaviour change communication, distribution of needles and syringes, clinical services, counselling, referral and linkages, community mobilization, enabling environment, etc.