Balasahyoga Program Focuses on Families

MARCH 2009 — Sunkari Parvathi lives in Swarna Bharathi Nagar, a slum on the outskirts of Guntur town, Andhra Pradesh. A widow living with HIV and raising three children, she has had to work extremely hard to provide for the family after the death of her husband. Fortunately, her three children—a daughter, age 13, and two sons, 12 and 9—tested negative for HIV.

To support the family, Parvathi used to sell fruits and other eatables in a basket at the gates of the school nearby and on the streets of Guntur town. This would fetch only a meager amount of money that was too little to meet even the basic needs of the children. With sadness in her eyes she recalls: "Even with all my efforts, there were times when I was unable to provide two square meals a day for my children and myself."

Then Parvathi met a family case manager from the Balasahyoga program, who helped her link to a range of programs and services for which she was eligible, including applying under the Rajiv Gruha Kalpa (State Government Housing Program), wherein a house has been sanctioned to her; contacting an NGO to receive free books and school bags once a year for her children; and joining a support group, through which she has received Rs. 5000 (approximately $100) from Andhra Bank.

Cultivating a Garden, and a Better Life
Parvathi has a front yard adjoining her one-room house. Through the program's food security initiative, and with the assistance of her family case manager, she has planted a kitchen garden with supplied seeds. With her nurturing, this once barren yard has developed into a planned and fenced garden, where Parvathi grows brinjals, tomato, lady's finger, spinach, amaranthus, and gourds. She also uses the vermi-composted bio-fertilizers she gets from composting kitchen waste, a process taught to her as part of the assistance provided. This intervention has brought a significant change to her family's daily food intake. "Prior to this intervention, each week I had to spend Rs. 40 (about $1) to purchase vegetables from the market. They would get spoiled easily as I could rarely afford the best quality. Now I hardly purchase vegetables from the market, but every day my children get extra vegetable in their meals. It is heartening to see that my children have something more than just plain rice."

Parvathi has been elected by the local community advisory board as a community volunteer for the Balasahyoga program. As a volunteer, she assists the family case manager in her area, helping families like hers access a range of services to improve their lives. She visits the hospital regularly to have her CD4 levels checked. And she is a member of the district PLHIV network and participates in support group meetings. Balasahyoga interventions have brought about a tangible change in her family's lifestyle, a clear indication of the program's ability to help women like Parvathi provide for themselves and their children.
 
PHOTO: Parvathi gathers vegetables with her daughter in their flourishing kitchen garden. (CARE/India)

See also:
Supporting Locally Based, Family-Centered Care (Jan. 2009 story)