It's the Network!

Today we visited RNP+, a non-governmental organization started in 2002 that links HIV-positive people with each other so that efforts against stigma and discrimination, and toward more rights and services for affected people, can be strengthened by the participation of HIV-positives themselves. Until now (and even now), one of the major problems has been mobilizing positive people to come out and let society know that they exist, and that their treatment by society and by the government has in many cases been extremely destructive. The presence of this network is absolutely vital to garnering public support, striking that emotional chord, and showing the government that HIV-positive voices can be political ones.

When we went today, we couldn't meet with the president of RNP+ because he had gone to the Rajasthani State Aids Control Society (RSACS) offices to go on hunger strike with several other staff members. They were wearing all black, with a covering over their mouths. Had they done this before? Yes, the director who answered our questions told us. It had been done before. Was it effective? Very, he said. Another tactic they've used is to create fake dead bodies and display them outside the RSACS offices. When questioned about the scene they were making, they produced a list of their demands. Today, too, they have a list of demands:



RNP+ does more than recruit new members to enlarge the network. It also has an Innovative Funding project, which records the skills, education level and work experience of PLWHA (people living with HIV/AIDS) to see whether they are candidates for retraining to do jobs. A lot of them are out of work, but are still able to function. Many of them are on life-prolonging ARVs. Work is what they need.

There are four types of training available: 1) professional peer counseling for other PLWHA (they would be placed in hospitals); 2) advocacy work at the district or block level; 3) computer work (they would be placed in any city with a positive persons network); and 4) receptionist work in an office (for women).

RNP+ has also built up a drop-in center. The director describes this as a real blessing for positive people. In Rajasthan there are only two ARV centers. People must travel frequently from far away to these two centers to get their monthly allotment of ARVs from the government. They often have to stay overnight, the trip is so long. Staying at the hospital is hard for positive people, because they often face stigma and discrimination. Sometimes they have high-risk behaviors. The drop-in center is more supportive than a hospital for them, and it's a relief that they can stay there while getting their monthly ARVs. It probably reduces the dropout rate for treatment, too.

Interestingly, the opposition that RNP+ faced when starting out was not from the public, but from the positive people themselves. Why would they be aginst an organization aimed at helping them mobilize? Because they were afraid of being identified. There was so much fear of stigma and discrimination that they did not want to join a network that explicitly singled them out as HIV-positive. That changed when peer counselors were put in hospitals (this was a government thing too; they initiated peer counseling on their own). A few peer counselors began telling their clients about the network, and that's how it began to grow. It now has over 5,000 people. It was great to hear about this. Mobilizing communities is one of the most difficult yet most important steps in creating public health changes. It takes not only persistence but creativity and craftiness!

The second part of our day was spent at Bapu Bazaar. We had a great time bargaining. I'm getting a LOT better, and starting to feel less bad about ripping merchants off. I've been reassured that they will ALWAYS be making a profit, and that no matter what, they're usually selling it to me for more than they would a local person. Hmmm.