In early November 2019 one of C2C’s partners, the Infant Jesus Children’s Home, greeted a new baby girl at their rescue home in Bangalore, India. Anita had been abandoned by her parents at just 24 days old. The program staff welcomed her with open arms and they tell us that Anita is happy, healthy and very active -- in spite of her HIV-positive status.
All the children at Infant Jesus Children’s Home have been abandoned because of their HIV status. The parents and guardians who give up these children are typically unable to care for them due to extreme poverty and other life circumstances. The parents are often sick themselves.
India has the third-largest HIV epidemic in the world, behind South Africa and Mozambique. In 2017, HIV prevalence among adults was an estimated 0.22%. This figure is small compared to many other countries but because of India's huge population, this equates to 2.1 million people living with HIV. Children with HIV are more likely to be orphaned, and the stigma related to the disease can reduce access to treatment and basic civic amenities like education.
Since 2000, the Indian government has made impressive progress in curbing the spread of HIV disease. Government funding even provides country-wide free medication to those who are infected. But many HIV-infected children do not receive government support for things like schooling, nutrition, housing and other supportive services due to lack of regulations and bureaucratic hurdles.
That’s where C2C steps in and provides these vital services for girls at the Infant Jesus Children’s Home through our Education & Holistic Support Program. With proper treatment, HIV can be a chronic, manageable illness. We believe these girls deserve a chance to overcome their disease, and we know they can serve as role models in their communities if given the opportunity through education.
The difficult context in which the girls are educated makes their successes all the more inspiring. Just last month a C2C-sponsored girl at Infant Jesus, successfully passed her 10th Standard exam -- the US equivalent of graduating high school. She is now attending a computer course and excited to find a job and support herself. Two more C2C-sponsored girls are preparing for their 10th Standard exams in early 2020. Many more, younger adolescents are showing initiative and progress in various stages of their studies.
We are proud of these girls! With critical aid from our supporters, we are doing our part to provide an enriching, supportive, stigma-free environment to help the girls reach their full potential, in spite of their HIV status.
*Name changed for confidentiality
**More on Infant Jesus Children’s home can be found here.