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David Furnish and Johnny Bergius, trustees of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, took time out of their busy schedules to experience first-hand the result of EJAF’s work in India.
During their week-long trip they visited a variety of programmes working with HIV/AIDS infected, affected and at risk individuals and families.
Field visits included accompanying Sahara’s outreach workers conducting needle/syringe exchange with street-based injecting drug users in Delhi. EJAF is funding a new Sahara project to reach out to this community, providing HIV/AIDS information, counselling and testing, a harm reduction and drug rehabilitation programme along with long-term job placements and support for rehabilitated clients to stay healthy, off drugs and managing their own lives.
As well as witnessing the severity of the issues facing street-based drug users, over 30% of those tested so far were found to be HIV positive, the trustees met with the first clients to have completed their journey through the Sahara programme. These clients are now off drugs, in work and living in a subsidised halfway home as the first step to independent living.
“It was a real inspiration to see the life-changing support provided by this programme. 95% of Sahara staff members are former drug users or HIV positive themselves, so they really understand the issues, and how best to help.”
- Johnny Bergius, Trustee
The trustees also participated in a meeting of the Human Rights Law Network (HRLN). Drawing together clients, service users and staff from 5 states the meeting highlighted a range of issues facing HIV positive people in India today including discrimination from health workers, employers, police and family members.
“20 years into the epidemic in India, it is staggering to still find so many people being refused medical treatment and ejected from hospitals, simply because they are HIV positive. HRLN is making small but important steps in highlighting and reversing this practice, but more is needed.”
- David Furnish, Trustee
EJAF’s support of HRLN in pursuing individual cases of discrimination is reinforced by support for their broader work in driving HIV/AIDS policy through public interest litigations. HRLN highlighted their work addressing barriers to accessing treatment for HIV positive people: including availability of services, transport costs and lack of food. A Supreme Court decision on their access to treatment case is expected next month – watch this website for results!