The Chaos Within - Wake Up Pune

This morning we had a meeting of HIV/AIDS NGOs for the Wake Up Pune initiative. It was a focused meeting with Project Concern International (PCI), Muktaa, Sahara Aalhad, NMP+ the positive people's network in Pune, HRLD - Human Rights and Law Defenders, Sarva Seva Sangh run by the Roman Catholic diocese, Soudamini trust that focuses on HIV+ women and children and Deep Griha Society's DISHA.

It has begun. Organisations are coming together to work for the issue, and work together for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.

The first Wake Up Pune rally has been planned for the 10th of September 2006. The plan is to mobilise thousands across the city and have them converge on MG Road on Sunday evening. The Walking Plaza on MG road on the weekends is an ideal forum with which to reach out to Pune. It is our first step in shaking Pune awake and letting them know that HIV/AIDS can no longer be ignored. People Living With and affected by HIV/AIDS can no longer be marginalised!

It was a good morning.

This afternoon I received an e-mail from Shodhana Consultancy which currently works with UNICEF Mumbai on the project on "Social Exclusion." They had a questionnaire for us to fill on HIV/AIDS and the disabled...

Their questions began with:

Do you think that disabled people might be at risk for HIV/AIDS?

Do you think that disabled people are at greater risk for HIV/AIDS than non-disabled people?

My immediate reaction was to answer yes, Of course! The mentally disabled in particular can be taken advantage of, as not all of them understand issues of sex and sexuality. Just yesterday in the Indian Express newspaper we read of a ward boy in Kerala raping a woman who had suffered 65% burns in the hospital toilet. She was physically disabled and had to undergo further trauma within hours of her self-immolation.

We can be evil.

We can and have and will take advantage of the disadvantaged.

Disabled people including disabled children in particular have and will be taken advantage of... We had a three year old girl in our crèche who was raped in a nearby public toilet. The stories are endless.

The questionnaire went on to ask what we as a organisation was doing... What intervention programmes if any were we running for disabled people in context of HIV/AIDS awareness and education.

It was a painful few moments as Shazma and I wrote 'NO' and 'Don't Know' in response to 99% of the questions.

We don't even know where to begin and we honestly said as much at the end of the questionnaire. Yet, even as I was writing these last few comments I thought about the kids that greet us every morning as they await the bus to take them to the Kamayani Institute for mentally disabled children and young adults. Kids from the Tadiwala Road community that are vulnerable to the predator that man can be. The Tadiwala Road community, Ramtekadi and Bibwewadi communities are our communities. Communities that we have worked in for almost 30 years.

Empowerment of the marginalised... that is how Deep Griha's mission statement begins.

The battle is on many fronts, and the battles have to be fought. Complacency is endemic in the NGO sector. And even when new ideas for projects come thick and fast we have to ensure that we do not forget the most vulnerable in our communities.

DISHA is well placed but almost everyday we realise there is more and more and more that needs to be done.

If we come together like we have then we will achieve the more, and then the more that comes after.

Wake Up Pune... yes... but fuck, we need to wake up too.