JSK CCC

 

Getting the word out – getting to Zero!

World AIDS Day 2011 has an electric slogan – getting to zero!

We want to see a world in 2015 where there are:

- Zero new HIV infections

- Zero discrimination

- Zero AIDS-related deaths

Is this even possible?

We believe it is.

If we work hard and pray hard – God can help us do what seems beyond possible!

Here are a few snap-shots of what Jeevan Sahara Kendra did over the World AIDS Day week – and the Mumbai AIDS Sunday activities that the CORINTH network help run all over Mumbai.

 

World AIDS Day – AIDS Rally – Airoli

Daniel Kautikkar – senior JSK staff member – participates with members of local prayer groups who have come together to tell others about HIV and what can be done.

 

World AIDS Day – Street plays performed by volunteers and JSK staff in different parts of Thane.

JSK volunteers and staff practice before hitting the streets of Thane – plays were performed at 11 locations in Thane.

 

World AIDS Day – Pray to End AIDS meeting at St. Pius X high-school, Mulund

A deeply moving time.  People from different churches and prayer groups gathered together to hear about what they can do to love people with HIV.  Stirring songs set the stage. People who were living with HIV courageously told stories of hope.  There were many tears.  After hearing a message from the Bible about what God wants of us – all present prayed specific prayers to see the end of AIDS.  And for us to be the answer to these prayers!

 

CORINTH AIDS Mela – at Warner Memorial Methodist Church, Kurla

The CORINTH AIDS Mela brought together 10 different organisations who are doing compassionate and consistent HIV care and prevention work in the greater Mumbai area.

The event was an eye-opener to the depth of the response that the different NGO members CORINTH network are involved in.

The public was able to see films about HIV, get literature on HIV, take part in a poster contest, purchase handicrafts made by HIV positive people, play educational games and finally be challenged by a stirring evening meeting in the church.

Moses Kasbe of JSK helps mela participants play an educational game that teaches about the need for HIV testing.

 

Sandhya, Peter and Agnes from the JSK staff team share some of the HIV resources that JSK has with Mr. Pradip and Major Cornelius of the Salvation Army’s CARE programme.

So there we have it.  Jeevan Sahara’s contribution over the World AIDS Day 2011 week toward seeing us Getting to Zero.  The Bible says that nothing is too difficult for God!

Celebrate!

A few weeks ago we suddenly realised something:

We as the Jeevan Sahara Kendra family have already entered our 10th year of service.

We feel that it is time to celebrate!

Time to thank God for His mercy in using us over these years.

Time to recognise our partners and supporters and all our friends who have made this 10th year of service possible.

Time to look forward to the next steps…

We would like to invite all our friends and well-wishers to a special time of celebration and rededication of the JSK Community Care Centre!

Please join us on Friday the 23rd of September at 7 PM (sharp) at the Jeevan Sahara Kendra Community Care Centre.

See you there!

Open for care!

We are thrilled to announce that the Jeevan Sahara Kendra is now operating out of our new Community Care Centre in the Lok Hospital Building.

Here is a sneek peek at some of the facilities available now:

Welcoming smiles at the main reception counter.

The main doctor’s consulting room:

The Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre where we conduct HIV testing:

Our inpatient unit now has 4 beds – and we are upgrading the facilities to become at 10 bedded service centre for people with HIV/AIDS who need hospitalisation:

And finally – the most important part of our new centre – our staff – here the Home Based Care team discuss their morning home-visits to people who have HIV and are living in Thane.

Moving

After a long wait, we are finally moving!

From tomorrow morning, the Jeevan Sahara Kendra will operate out of the Lok Hospital building.

We are moving our clinic over this afternoon.

Its an exciting time.  We see many new opportunities opening up for us.

Onwards!

Our own champion!

We have a pretty amazing set of people working with us at Jeevan Sahara Kendra.

We did not realise we have a champion power-lifter in our midst. Last weekend Santosh Sable – one of our family case managers – participated in the “Mayor’s Cup” lifting competition organised by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation.

Competing in the 60 kg category (he weighed in at 59.25) Santosh managed to lift 82.5 kgs in the bench press, 170 kgs in the squat and 215 kgs in dead lift. This comes to a grand total of 467.5 kgs – almost half a ton!

That almost-half-ton was enough to get Santhosh first place in his division! Hooray! We are thrilled with Santosh – who has been with us since December 2010. We knew that Santosh visited the gym regularly – but little did we know that we have a city-wide champion in our midst!

My loved one has HIV/AIDS… now what?

Nine ways that God can use you to help your loved one in the challenge of living with HIV!

You just found out that someone you love has HIV.  It may be your brother or your sister.  It may be a close friend or a business colleague.  It may be anyone – but you have found out and you are shocked.

What can I do now?  What should I do?  Isn’t AIDS an incurable disease?  How could it happen to us?  What will people think?

These and many other questions may be going through your mind at this point.

This little write-up is meant to help you make good choices.  It does not have all the answers to every question.  But since we have worked with many people who are living with HIV – and their family members who are helping them – this write-up does give some practical advice to some of the main questions that you will have.

Please feel free to ask further questions.  You will find contact addresses on the side of this web page and at the end of this post.

So…  My loved one has HIV/AIDS – now what?

1. Your loved one is afraid.

Remember – he or she is the one with the disease.  The immediate relatives (if they know already) may be even more fearful.

You can make a difference by telling your loved one you still love them.  Don’t accuse.  Don’t judge.  We have all made mistakes.  Now is the time to accept with all your heart.  Give courage – not more fear!

Having HIV is not the end!  There is so much hope!

2. Get a confirmatory HIV report

One report – esp. from a private lab – is not enough to tell whether a person has HIV.  Make sure your loved one gets a proper HIV anti-body test.  We suggest having it done at any of the Government Integrated Counseling and Testing Centers (ICTCs) which are at each Municipal Hospitals.

Some ICTCs are also found with govt. recognized NGOs such as Jeevan Sahara Kendra and Salvation Army.

3. Start Treatment!

HIV is a disease which has lots of treatments available!  But you must help your loved one get the right kind of HIV treatment. Don’t go to people who say “take this and I will cure you.”

If you are living in the greater Mumbai area the correct HIV Treatment is straight forward (if you are living in other parts of India the same general principles will hold true):

• Register at the nearest Government Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) Centre – investigations and medicines are free.   The Greater Mumbai Area has ART centres at JJ Hospital, KEM Hospital, Nair Hospital, Godrej Hospital, L+T Health Centre Andheri, Thane Civil Hospital,Central Hospital Ulhasnagar, and NMMC Hospital Vashi,

• Have a free blood test done to check your loved one’s immunity.  This is called an absolute CD4 Count – and should be done initially and then repeated every 6 months.

• Check for other diseases such as Tuberculosis.  If your loved one has TB, then get free TB treatment from your nearest Govt. DOTS center.

• These treatments will really help your loved one.  Tuberculosis treatment needs to be taken for 1 year and ART (Anti-retroviral treatment) is taken life-long.  You can encourage your loved one to take the medicine and make sure they take every dose of the medicine!

• Your prayers and love and support help the medicines work!  Keep encouraging your loved one to keep their treatments!

4. Encourage disclosure

HIV is too big a disease to be dealt with alone.  Help your loved one share about their HIV status to close family members. Every person living with HIV needs a strong support system.  This can only happen when we tell others about our condition.

It is not easy to tell others that you are HIV positive.  Offer to be there with your loved one – if they want – when they share their HIV status to others.  Work with the others to help them understand that they are not at risk themselves from daily contact and caring for a person with HIV.

5. Test other family members

If your loved one is married – it is important to test their spouse for HIV.  If the mother is found to be infected with HIV – then it is good to test the children as well.

Testing other family members for HIV can be very hard – there may be many feelings of guilt and fear.  But you can help your loved one overcome these feelings by your encouragement and prayers.

Your loved one may not want to test immediately, especially if they have just found out about their own HIV positivity.  But do not wait too long.  If the family members are HIV negative – then that can be a huge burden lifted off your loved one’s shoulders.  If any are HIV positive – then we can start their own treatment sooner rather than waiting for the disease to do damage to them!

6. Support financially.

Nothing is free.  Nothing is cheap.  Your loved one will need some kind of financial help.  You may not be able to help in every area, but every little bit is useful.  Gently find out what your loved one’s needs are – and what their family’s needs are.  Once you have found out – act! Don’t wait to help them out.  God loves a cheerful giver!

7. Listen.

Listen to your loved one’s fears and worries and help them to overcome them.  Don’t give up – and don’t let your loved one give up!  Keep communicating.  Send SMSs.  Call up. Visit.  Spend time.  Listen more than you talk.  Allow your loved ones to express themselves.  If they need to cry – let them.  Give them a safe space in which they can share their deepest sorrows.

8. Keep confidentiality

Let your loved one know that you are not going to share what they tell you with anyone.  Keep to your word.  While you want your loved one to tell others about their HIV status – that is their job – not yours!  You must be totally trustworthy in keeping your loved one’s confidence.

9. Encourage your loved one to trust and depend on the Living God.

Living with HIV is not easy at all.  There are so many challenges. Every day.  None of us have enough time and energy to be the solution to the problems of others – especially those with HIV.

Here is where you can help your loved one to move forward and live positively – help them to trust and depend on the Living God.  We know that Jesus Christ cares for each one of us – especially those who are living with HIV/AIDS.

Help your loved one with HIV trust more in God Himself.  Encourage them to read God’s word the Bible and to pray.  Take your loved one with you to a prayer group or Sunday service if they do not do so already.

Having HIV is not the end – it is only the beginning of a new and often challenging phase of their life.

Thanks for being willing and ready to help your loved one with HIV.  We hope that this small write-up has helped you with some of the basic steps can be used by God to bless our loved ones who are living with this challenging condition.

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For further information, you can contact Jeevan Sahara Kendra at 9321112065  or send us an email at jsk@vsnl.net

Finding out whether you have HIV or not

There are a lot of important decisions to make in life.

One of them is finding out your own HIV status.  Are you infected with the HIV virus or not?

There is only one way to know – get the test done.  Which test?  The HIV-antibody test where a small amount of blood is taken and checked to see whether it contains HIV-antibodies.

If the test is ‘reactive’ to HIV-antibodies, it means that the body has recognised HIV in its blood.  If the blood sample came from me – it would mean that I am HIV positive.

Why should I know about my status?

Here are three key reasons:

1.  For my body’s sake.

If I am HIV positive – then the sooner I know about it – the sooner I can take the appropriate treatment.   Quick detection and prompt treatment means a far longer life.  Avoiding treatment doesn’t help – infact it harms.  The later I start treatment – the more damage the virus has done to me.   Remember that we must never give up hope!

Getting the right treatment for HIV makes all the difference.  A study in the US says that the average life expectancy – after finding out about HIV – is now 24 years!  And who knows how much longer I can live if new sets of medicines come on the scene in the coming years!  But all of this is useless unless I find out whether I have HIV or not – and then go to trusted people for treatment.

Do you need to know where to get treatment? We can help you at Jeevan Sahara Kendra.  If you are living in Thane we can directly provide treatment for you.  If you live outside – we will be able to guide you to a local provider who can help you move forward!  Come and visit us with all your medical papers!

2.  To protect others.

If I am HIV positive – then I want to protect those I love.  I will want to make sure that anyone I have had sexual contact with will be tested for the disease too.  I will also want to make sure that I do not infect anyone else.  Its bad enought that I have it – why should I spread it further.

If I am negative – wow! what a relief!  But it does mean that I will have to be very careful now to make sure that I do not get exposed to HIV again.  Best bet by far – being sexually faithful to my mutually faithful spouse!  Anything before marriage and any sex outside marriage is just too risky!  A negative report is a real gift – I won’t want to waste it!

There is a small chance that if I am negative now but have had a sexual exposure to a person who has HIV in the last 3 months before the test – that I may actually have the disease.  The chances of this are very small – but to make sure I really do not have it – I will need to have another HIV antibody test in 3 months to make sure.  Some people call this the ‘window’ period.  If I have not had any risk exposure in the 3 months prior to the test then I know for sure that I am ‘HIV negative’.

3. For peace of mind

Getting an HIV test can be very scary.  So scary that most of us will never want to really do it.

But if I do not get tested – and I know I have had some kind of exposure – or I am worried that my sexual partner has had some exposure – then that worry will continue to gnaw at me.

Its always better to know the truth!

If I am HIV negative – then I can move on with my life and make sure I do not expose myself again.

If I am HIV positive – then I can also move on in life – I can find out how much the virus has affected my immunity already – and can move forward to get better!

Jesus said at one point: “you will know the truth – and the truth will set you free.”  Knowing about my HIV status gives me the tools to live positively – knowing just what is going on – instead of carrying a huge burden of fear around with me wherever I go.

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So what are you waiting for?  If you believe you have had any kind of exposure that could have been dangerous for HIV – then come and get tested for HIV.

We are happy to help you get tested as Jeevan Sahara Kendra is a govt. recognised Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre.   We provide counselling and HIV testing from 10 am to 5.30 PM from Monday to Friday.

If you are coming from outside Thane or would like a Saturday appointment – please call us at 25899248 during office hours!

Look foward to serving you!

Lets rise to the challenge!

Light a flame – shine a light

Life is tough.  And then there is the issue of HIV.

Many of us are afraid to face the truth.  Others of us have a loved one who we think may have HIV.  Most of us don’t know what to do…

A journey of a 1000 miles starts with a single step.   Its the same with any difficult problem.  Until we make a first step we will never see it solved.  Just closing our eyes does not help – in fact it only makes it worse.

Yesterday a man came to Jeevan Sahara Kendra with severe psychiatric problems.  He had been suffering with headaches for a month.  His wife and he knew that they were HIV positive.  But they did not tell anyone for years – because they were too afraid about what others will think.  Now this dear man needs urgent hospitalisation and an MRI scan to find out what is causing the severe problems he is facing.  All this could have been avoided by getting treatment at the right time.  There is still hope for this man – but it is harder to treat him now than it would have been a month ago.

How about you?  Are you scared about whether you may have HIV?  Are you worried about a loved one or a friend who you think may have it?

Tell someone else.  Its not easy, but its necessary.  We can’t go through this alone.  We need each other.  Pray and talk to God.  Get strength to carry you through the difficult times.

But don’t stay silent.  Get up and get an HIV blood test.  Knowing whether you or your loved one has HIV or not makes a huge difference.

If you or the ones you love do not have HIV – then you can move forward and work on ways of not getting exposed again.

If you are HIV positive – or have someone you love who is – then there are real ways that help.  HIV is not an ‘untreatable’ disease.  There are many good ways that we can use medications and other ways to treat the disease.  Like diabetes and some other illnesses – HIV/AIDS is a chronic ‘life-long’ disease – but we can make a huge difference.  You can contact your nearest Govt. ART centre for more guidance.  Or come to us at Jeevan Sahara Kendra if you live here in Thane.

It all depends on you.

Are you willing to act? To light a flame?  To shine a light?