Project Description Tamil Nadu AIDS Control Society (TNSACS)
Duration: September 2003 - March 2009
Partners: The AIDS Prevention and Control Project (APAC), The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF)
Geographic Focus: All districts of Tamil Nadu
Project Profile: TNSACS uses CDC funding to strengthen the response to HIV prevention, care and treatment. A major activity is working with the Government Hospital for Thoracic Medicine (GHTM), Tambaram, the largest HIV/AIDS care provider in South Asia. TNSACS supports GHTM through strengthening lab services, maintaining the patient information system, and a HIV Clinical Fellowship Program.
TNSACS also trains medical and paramedical staff to provide treatment and prevention services, enabling rollout of necessary HIV/AIDS services throughout the state.
Field Officers and Regional Managers for the Red Ribbon Club Program focus on HIV prevention intervention amongst students in higher educational institutions. The Tamil Nadu Corporation for Development of Women is supported by TNSACS to implement the SHG Intervention Program. The program supports HIV prevention interventions among SHG members, through training Self Help Group animators and developing training material, including a flip chart.
Key Ongoing Activities:
- Support for GHTM, Tambaram to strengthen and maintain the laboratory facilities, and maintenance of the patient Management Information System, and continued support for HIV Fellowship Program
- Provision of training to TNSACS staff on Monitoring and Evaluation, Information Education and Communication (IEC) and provision of ART
- Prevention of HIV among college youth through Red Ribbon Clubs (RRCs)
- Technical assistance to Corporation for Development of Women, through provision of a consultant, for HIV prevention intervention amongst Self Help Groups (SHGs) women in Tamil Nadu
- Strengthening program implementation capacity in TNSACS in response to program needs
Project Achievements and Innovations:
- Strengthened laboratory services and provided support to over 20 laboratory technicians through hiring a Senior Laboratory Manager at GHTM, Tambaram
- The HIV Fellowship Program, currently in its fourth year, has trained 43 medical graduates in three batches
- The Red Ribbon Clubs for college youth cover 14 universities, 467 Arts and Science Colleges, 238 Engineering colleges, and 150 Polytechnics; a 10-module curriculum, Celebrating Life, has been designed for training the students
- SHGs supported 800,000 women in 52,000 groups. The program integrates training in HIV/AIDS and STI prevention into SHG activities, with the potential of increasing demand for services in rural populations through expanding awareness of HIV/AIDS