Rehabilitation & Self-support Schemes for Widows and Abandoned Women
The condition of the widows of patients who die due to AIDS is very pathetic. There is great stigma attached to this disease, therefore they are often rejected by the society and even the relatives. Sometimes we hear of cases where the AIDS widow along with her children is thrown out by her in-laws. Most of them have very little income to support themselves. Often they have spent everything in the husband’s treatment, even selling the little fields they owned. Some women are abandoned by their husbands even though both are HIV positive.
In many cases, these women as well as one or more of the children, are also HIV positive. Shanthamma was left a widow when her husband died of AIDS. She and her two sons are HIV positive. Her sons are students in Ashirvad Residential School. Both boys were very sickly when they began to come to us in 2003. Now both are enjoying much better health. Shanthamma has found meaning and purpose to her life as caregiver to the children.
The Need
- Many of these widows and abandoned women need accommodation.
- They need to be given some training.
- They need a small monetary amount to start a self-supporting project.
- They need medication and nourishment until the time when they are able to support themselves.
Self-support Schemes
Depending on the talents and need in their locality, we encourage them to take up these self support projects.
- Tailoring: Training, sewing machine & financial assistance to get started
- Small general shop: Training to help start and maintain the shop, and financial assistance to begin.
- Vegetable vendor: Hand drawn cart and financial help to start
- Snack vendor: Hand drawn cart, a stove, vessels for cooking and financial assistance to start.
Beneficiaries
- 4 widows have been provided jobs in Ashirvad Residential School
- We have also helped 3 widows and 2 older orphan girls to start tailoring classes and business