Elections rob help owed to children of AIDS patients

Alappuzha: The elections have brought bad times for the AIDS patients who depended on the financial help from people’s representatives and voluntary organisations to send their kids to lower primary schools.

Due to the expensive electioneering, none could spare money for 125 kids in the district, out of them 42 HIV-positive, to enable them to buy necessary items for the new academic year.

These kids are registered under Vihaan, a support project for people living with HIV (PLHIV), monitored by the Kerala State AIDS Control Society on the campus of Government TD Medical College Hospital, Vandanam, here. This year neither the government nor any private institutions have extended help to these children.

The project that began in the district in 2014 has been providing medical and psychological support to at least 810 HIV- positive people.

K.S. Girija, project coordinator, said 125 kids were selected from among the HIV-positive parents who live in extremely vulnerable circumstances.

 The children studying in lower primary classes require items like bags, umbrellas, uniforms, tiffin boxes, water bottles and study materials.

 “The people’s representatives told us that they were busy with electioneering. We have not received any help from donors so far,” she said.

“The HIV-positive people do not go out seeking help due to the taboo about AIDS. Many of the kids we support are good in academics and they dream of a better future through education,” she said and sought the help of Good Samaritans for their sake.