DESIRE Society for HIV/AIDS Children in India

LAKSHMI CASE STUDY

Situation:
Baby Lakshmi hails from a small village where she used to live in a little hut along with her elder brother and sister. These siblings lost their parents due to AIDS and unfortunately baby Lakshmi was also infected with HIV during her birth. Though the elder siblings are non-reactive with HIV but they are helpless to extend their support to this little girl due to poverty and stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. Later Lakshmi’s sister got married and left this baby with her brother. Now Lakshmi’s brother too is in the process of finding an alliance to get married. He left Lakshmi with their paternal grand-mother who believed is only the guardian to this baby. The reason behind leaving this girl at grandma’s place because her brother may not get an alliance in their community if he stays with her sister who is infected with HIV. But surroundings at grandma’s place had cursed baby and thus had lead baby in to more pathetic living circumstances. Her grand ma used to torture the baby saying, “Your mother had contracted with HIV in the community and then she had passed the virus to my son thus caused to their death” and they left you with me as a life time sad memory.  I don’t want you staying with me…..go away….and live yourself. Theses unsupported circumstances left the baby with uncertain on her further survival. But when Lakshmi came to receive her monthly regular supplementary nutrition kit distributed by DESIRE Society, the organization had come to know her painful living situation and then DESIRE Society offered admission to this baby as an orphan at Institutional Care Home run by DESIRE. Hence the baby has got an opportunity of sharing her feelings, emotions and joys with her 65 more such inmates in Institutional Care Home at Hyderabad.

What DESIRE Society did for baby Lakshmi:

Since the girl was admitted on 19th June 2013, DESIRE Society has been rendering its best for the quality and extended life span for this baby. When Lakshmi was admitted she was malnourished, badly required medical attention as she was neglected by her family members. Her CD4 count was 200cells/micro L which was supposed to be at least 500. She was offered proper counselling, treatment and medicines for opportunistic infections (OIs) by our medical team. She is also able to receive round the clock health care and monitoring. Lakshmi was put on ART (Antiretroviral Treatment, a lifesaving drug) as her CD4 count was low. She is also required a balanced diet as ART has got more side effects. Exactly here DESIRE Society has put more attention on planned nutritional diet which truly helped this baby to continue drug adherence, thus lead baby to gain physical weight and height improvement. After these continuous efforts have put by DESIRE, now Lakshmi’s health condition is getting stable and heading progress. Now her CD4 count is raised to 759cells/micro L.  Improved health condition has blessed this baby to resume her education. Now she is in 5th standard while attending a private school close by DESIRE care home. “I want to become a doctor when I grow up and wish to 
serve my village people” are the words of this innocent LakshmiWe at DESIRE Society hope baby Lakshmi should live long and may her dreams come true like a normal girl child.
 

Lakshmi is one among thousands of such children suffering with HIV/AIDS in India. DESIRE Society was bornto support such children through providing comprehensive care with social security by reaching up to 800 children since 2005. The organization shall continue its sincere services to make lives of these children happy till they live.