Sahara  Aalhad

An Appeal To Make A Difference

In The Lives Of

People Living With HIV / AIDS.

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Background

 As Pune’s only care home for people living with HIV/AIDS, Sahara Aalhad’s philosophy includes never turning away a person in need. Created in 2001, Sahara Aalhad cares for acutely ill persons with HIV/AIDS. Most of Sahara Aalhad’s residents have families who have rejected them and have no other source of shelter, food, or medical care. Sahara Aalhad does not turn people away based on religion, ethnicity, gender, or social status. When single mothers arrive at Sahara Aalhad, their children are also welcomed.

 While Sahara Aalhad has a bed capacity of 20, it is the only place where many can turn to for care. As such, it is not uncommon for Sahara Aalhad to be 50% or more over capacity. Sahara Aalhad is situated on the Pune Nagar Highway and is strategically located to serve both the city and its surrounding areas. Currently, Sahara Aalhad runs with no outside funding. The staffs consist of four caregivers, including the Co-ordinator and two other staff.

 The patients admitted to the three wards (two wards for males and one ward for females) are provided  food, nutritional supplements, nutritional counselling, medical care, and counselling services to help them recover from opportunistic infections, tuberculosis, other medical problems as well as malnutrition.

 Sadly, stigma related to HIV/AIDS is one of the most significant problems facing the residents of Sahara Aalhad. HIV/AIDS-related stigma is the reason so many families refuse to care for our clients when they are ill and refuse to allow them to return home after they have recovered from their acute medical problems.

 Women and children are frequently abandoned by their husbands, parents, and extended families. Former neighbours of Sahara Aalhad residents still believe that HIV/AIDS is spread through people using a common water source, touching, or even handling the same papers. Discrimination leads many to our doors for care that no-one else is willing to provide.

Even the local hospitals discriminate against persons with HIV/AIDS. When an HIV-positive person’s viral status is learned in the hospital, the patient is often moved to the worst part of the hospital, not provided basic care due to the staff’s fear and discharged on many a pretext. Clients also seek early discharge because they are so poorly treated as humans. We have seen these practices with our own eyes. Institutional discrimination in health care makes our services even more critical to our residents.

 Sahara Aalhad is part of Sahara, a 28 year old organisation whose mission is to empower people facing difficult situations due to substance use and/or HIV/AIDS. Sahara is a therapeutic transitional community working with people irrespective of their beliefs, economic status, literate or illiterate and the marginalised. Its aim is to make people confident, independent and free them from the systems that ensure that their lot in life will not improve. 

Use of Funds

Food. The majority of funds are allocated to food purchases. For people living with HIV/AIDS, nutrition is especially critical for their health. Traditional breakfasts include bread, jam, and tea, while lunches and dinners include a meat dish, high in protein, as well as vegetables and grain. The funds are also used to purchase monthly rations of milk, a low-cost, high-protein nutritional option. Nutrition with high protein content is essential for HIV-positive persons as it provides critical maintenance for the immune system.

 Medical Expenses. Though your gift is primarily dedicated to nutrition, it is also used to purchase medical supplies, including dressing, drugs, and protective items such as gloves and masks for caretakers. Due to limited resources, we often run out of protective equipment and must handle patients with our bare hands and without masks; we would be grateful for your support, as it allows us to ensure safety and eliminate risk.  

 Utilities. Funds are also used to purchase monthly rations of gas, which is utilised for sterilization of medical instruments, cooking meals, and heating water. Because Sahara Aalhad does not have an in-house water source, we must purchase water tanks from external vendors. The month’s water requirement is supply of 13 tankers.

 Festivals. On New Year’s Day, clients, staff members along with their families join together for a truly special celebration. Because of their situation, clients become lonely and depressed. These rare festivities lift their morale and spirits in a grand way. Our caretakers live onsite and work round-the-clock for Aalhad. A break provides a great time to unwind, while simultaneously avoiding burnout. We would be especially thankful for bringing these jovial occasions to Aalhad, as it is rare we have the opportunity and resources to celebrate.

 Photos from Sahara