Aarti Dhar
IMPHAL: Manipur, politically troubled, is not bereft of social concerns. . As children grow into adults, it is a time for concern for parents, particularly those whose children have tested positive for HIV. The family comes together to work out strategies to break the bad news.
This is a common dilemma almost every household faces today. Until the children are grown and not on anti-retroviral drugs, they face no worry or discrimination, but once the sexually active age is reached, things become difficult.
With the HIV infection having spread into the community, through the exchange or re-use of infected syringes and the unsafe sexual practices that have infected many women, now, the large number of children infected or affected by HIV poses a serious challenge to society as well as government.
Rough estimates suggest that Manipur has 6,500 children who are affected (orphaned or abandoned with their mothers by families due to the stigma attached with HIV) by the killer infection. Taking up the challenges, several non-governmental organisations have come forward to take care of these children by providing help with treatment and education.
The Manipur Network of Positive People (MNP +) started its education support to children infected and affected with HIV/AIDS in January last year. The initiative began with 44 children of Classes I to XII, who would otherwise have dropped out as their parents had little or no earning, besides having spent most of their savings on treatment.
Today, the programme supports 93 children and covers all nine districts in the State. Imphal West has 11, Imphal East 14. Bishnupur 15, Thoubal 10, Ukhrul 10, Senapati 10, Tamenglong 3, Chandel 10 and Churachandpur 10 such children enrolled in various schools.
The programme prioritises children who are infected and orphaned, infected and with a single parent, in addition to organising home visits to assess the beneficiaries. “MNP + intends to continue the support until such time that government education schemes like the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and others incorporate children affected by HIV and AIDS and are effectively implemented in the State,” Deepak, president of MNP + told The Hindu. The MNP + has a tie-up with some local hospitals where these children are generally referred to. With awareness about the programme spreading, many individuals and philanthropic organisations have also started chipping in.
Another non-governmental organisation, Catholic Relief Service is providing education support to 210 affected children. Under the programme, children are provided Rs. 500 for admission, Rs. 700 for school uniform, textbooks and a set of exercise books, and a monthly school tuition fee of Rs. 100.
Even as the State and society struggle to rehabilitate children with HIV and AIDS, they are confronted with the yet other challenge of Hepatitis C, which has assumed epidemic proportions.
According to the Integrated Behavioural and Biological Assessment conducted by the ICMR and Family Health International in two Manipur districts — Bishnupur and Churachandpur — the prevalence of the Hepatitis C virus was alarmingly high among the injecting drug-users.