This year it is considered to say that our organization is a most successful organization as the number of programs in terms of services to the poor and needy has tremendously grown up. Apart from regular programs like AIDS program and Technical training program, we have taken up the following services/activities in our target areas.

The following are the prominent services/activities that our organization SNEHA has taken up during the year 2006-07.

1. Sexual Health Project(APSACS):
The project has been initiated with an objective to aware the community on issues related to sexual health with a major focus on communities having high-risk behavior. The project aims at countering the spread of dreadful HIV virus and AIDS. The urban slum being high-risk areas due to dwellers’ tending to unhealthy sexual practices has created the need for the program in urban slums of Warangal. The program covers 12000 families across 13 slums and 5 migrant labour addas of Warangal. The project has focused on the following areas during the year:

 Behavior Change Communication (BCC)
 Condom Promotion
 Peer Education
 Quality STD Care
 Enabling Environment

Behavior Change Communication (BCC): The objective behind the activity is to change the high-risk people to either low risk or no risk. To realize the objective the focus has been laid upon identification of high-risk people and provides Counseling to them.

During the year 9237 high risk individuals have been identified who are mostly truck drivers, hamalis, daily wage laborers, construction workers, painters, masons who often tend to satisfy their biological needs at high risk areas which are highly potential for getting affected by sexually transmitted diseases, HIV and AIDS. The methodology applied for dealing with them includes one to one discussions, one to group discussions, condom demonstrations and education. The inputs to the entire 18000 people were trained on the following aspects:

 General sex behaviors
 Personal risk behaviors
 Misconceptions on HIV and AIDS
 Ill consequences of multiple sex behavior
 Precautions for avoiding the problems
 Ways and means of treatment
 Condom usage

The inputs were given to the target group through one to one discussions and group discussions. People usually prefer confidentiality in the above aspects as they feel they are very sensitive areas for discussion. Hence the focus always has been laid upon individual counseling. The advanced and serious cases when and where identified during counseling and discussions were referred to the specialists.

The activity is process oriented and is on during the entire year. The Outreach workers and the Counselor of our organization do visit the people personally and speak to them. The interactive sessions with the people have been very successful and yielded good results. The change in behavior has been noticed through observations in about 9237 out of 18000 people. The output is remarkable.

The impact of the activity resulted in majority of target group changing their attitude and practicing safe sexual methods. The incidence of STD has reduced to a maximum extent.

Condom Promotion: Though the BCC activity has been useful in reduction of risk behavior, usage of condoms has been noticed as ideal for avoiding the risk. Hence the activity is proposed for enabling the people with high-risk behavior to adopt safe methods of sex. The initiative includes the following activities:

 Demonstrations of correct, concurrent and consistent use of condoms. The Condom demonstrations were held by ORWs initially. Subsequently Primary Stakeholders have been encouraged to do it on their own and disseminate the concept amongst their fellow people. The idea of demonstrations by PSH has resulted in good response from the community as they feel ownership and free environment in presence of their fellow community people.

 ORWs and counselor played major role in wiping off the misconceptions on usage of condoms from the minds of the people, through educating them on various aspects of condom usage.

 As a part of condom promotion we could distribute 1409445 condoms at free of cost and provided the availability of condoms at high risk areas where the people could access them freely and with out any inhibitions.

 As a strategy of promotion 5895 condoms have been sold through social marketing. The strategy was materialized through sale of condoms in high-risk areas through outlets and also promotion of different brands, which usually attract the people with colorful pictures and generate anxiety for usage.

The impact of the initiative has been very good as majority of people has adopted condom usage and it also resulted in family planning, resisting STD, HIV and AIDS.

Peer Education: The objective of the intervention is to promote the sexual health education in slums through identified peer educators and volunteers amongst the community. The peer educators are from the PSH group of the community they live, they work, they roam together, and the volunteers are the active people who can promote the safe sex education. The idea is to create free and enabling facilitation to the community as the issue is viewed very confidential and they may not open up there sexual problems to the outsiders much comfortably and also to show the PSH as models and promote the safe practices. As a part of the intervention the following have been taken up during the year:

 350 peer educators were identified
 Training has been provided to 315 peer educators in 3 phases on STD, HIV, AIDS, Condom promotion, available referral services etc.
 Reached the entire community through peer educators
 Condom outlets have been managed by peer educators
 Peer educators have been playing a replacement role for ORWs and are providing necessary services to the community

Quality STD Care: The need of the program has been generated due to dependency of people on local unqualified medical practitioners who are unskilled and usually provide services to people at high cost with low quality treatment and ignorance of subject matter is resulting in heavy expenses and delay in curing STDs for the people. Hence the local RMP Doctors have been identified and they are provided with necessary inputs on Syndromic case management and enable them to deal the cases more efficiently and effectively.

The local medical practitioners were visited and their way of working has been closely observed and rapport has been developed with them and then they have been made to feel the need of intervention. Then they have been provided training on the aspects like:

 Syndromic Case Management
 Behaviour Change Communication (BCC).
 Condom Promotion
 Partner Treatment
 Importance of Complete Course of Treatment

This has resulted in local practitioners becoming well equipped with the thorough knowledge required for dealing with the cases relating to sexual health. The people are accessing their services well at low cost and in less time, as on to day they have treated 1216 STD patients. The need for running from pillar to post in search of treatment has been reduced as their needs are being addressed effectively in their local living areas itself.

Enabling Environment: The entire implementation and impact of the program depends upon creating Enabling Environment at project and community levels. As the concept is sensitive there is high need to enable the community to cope up with the project interventions. Hence as an effort to create such conducive environment for project interventions the following activities have been taken up during the year. Awareness generation programs for local leaders, CBOs, Women SHGs, masons, union leader, police. The program has been taken up to aware the urban communities on sexual health aspects where the risk behavior is quite high. The following are the activities being taken up as a part of the program:

 Providing education,
 Referral services
 Counseling to the HIV & AIDS affected persons
 Condom promotion

2. Short Stay Home for Women and Girls: The women in present society is facing many problems and suppressing by the husbands, and in-laws family members. Hence the SNEHA initiated Short Stay Home for Women and Girls with the support of CSWB, New Delhi, to over come these problems, with 30 inmates. We are giving free accommodation, food, Counselling and skill development trainings for self-sufficiency of women. In this home will take admissions from the women who have raped, the women who have failed in love and where the parents are not allowing them, the women who have went out of the in-laws family due to character less, the women who are torturing for dowry, the women who have become mother before marriage all these women will be given preference.

3. Home Based Care for AIDS patients (PATHWAY PROJECT):

The project is aimed to care the HIV/AIDS patients in Warangal Urban. The SNEHA team will give counseling, nursing care and economical support with Home Based Care and Support. The HBC team will have a social visit to the families those who are having HIV related sickness. This visit will be used to develop rapport with the patients and their family.

The new client and their family will assess by the HBC (Home Based Care) medical staff person and a counselor. Information will be recorded on a Client Intake Form. A health check-up medical examination will be conducted to determine the current health status of the patient in order to project their therapeutic and nursing needs. A detailed and adequate history of the client, with especial focus on past and present activities that place them at risk of contracting and spreading HIV will be recorded. Similarly, an exploratory counseling session will be conducted that will help determine the economic status of the family and also the psychosocial needs for the patient and family. During this meeting, the patient and the family members will also be introduced to the HBC team. Together with the patient, and based on the information gathered in the initial client intake procedure, the HBC member prepares an action plan to guide the HIV care given to the patient. The aim of the action plan is to provide specific tasks for the HBC team and the clients to ensure that all three components i.e. clinical care, nursing-care training and counseling are adequately implemented.

Counseling: Direct personal and family counseling will be a vital part of the home-based AIDS patients care activity. Counselors will play multiple roles, to improve the quality of life for PLWHAs and their families. Upon diagnosis and discovery of their HIV sero-status, the counselor can assist the patient and their loved ones through the various stages of psychological acceptance of the disease. Issues of HIV testing, and the knowledge of infection are important for clients who do not know their HIV status. A counselor can facilitate this process, since self-knowledge which plays an important role in prevention of transmission. Counseling will help the family to live with HIV disease and work constructively towards the responsibilities that they have to each other. Counselors play an important role in reducing psychological fear, discrimination, shame, and uncertainly.

Finally, patients and their families require help preparing for dying and death. While most of this has to be done by the family members themselves, a counselor can help make sure that as much of grieving and expressing love is done as possible before it is too late. The counselor will also help the family plan for surviving dependents such as children left orphaned, spouses, or invalid parents. A dying patient may have deep feelings of guilt about abandoning their children, but may at least feel some relief in knowing that their loved ones are being taken care of. Counselors will encourage clients to express their wishes well in advance of their death in order to make it easier for the survivors. Making a will is encouraged through psychosocial counseling, spiritual and mental balance program like Yoga, and support to children of PLWHAs nutritional support, providing livelihood skills and forming PLHA support groups.

Nursing Care: Many of the patient’s need can be met through long-term nursing. Nursing staff in the HBC team is providing help with cleaning and dressing wounds, and giving HIV drips when needed, but the patient’s family shoulders the bulk of the nursing care. Towards this end, the HBC team actively trains the families in providing the continuous nursing care that patients with HIV disease require. Part of the teaching will be on maintaining the patient’s personal hygiene. Training is giving on disinfections and disposal of wastes and accidental spills of blood and other body fluids. The family is also counseled on ways to protect themselves from HIV infection, and taught about sterilization and universal safety precautions.

The HBC staff is also giving practical advice to the family on nutrition for the patient, food hygiene, and care of the person’s skin, mouth, etc. Special care will be taken to make sure the home environment is clean and well ventilated, and the other members of the family do not get sick, to prevent secondary infections of the patient.

An important part of Home Based Care will be helping the family to manage the symptoms of common diseases associated with HIV infection. Two of the most common symptomatic illnesses often faced by patients are fever and diarrhea, which can be effectively handled by the family members.

Clinical Care: Initial clinical care is providing by the medical staff of the HBC team. The medical doctor to determine the current clinical manifestations of HIV disease or AIDS will carry out a further and more detailed examination. To help with these diagnoses, necessary tests will be performed, several of which can be processed in the mobile clinic laboratory.

Based on the in-depth examination, a treatment schedule will be prepared and depending on the severity of the illnesses present, the HBC team will rationally prescribe and provide appropriate, locally available drugs. If the person is found to require treatment for TB or STDs, the HBC team will advocate for the procurement of necessary drugs from the Government hospital, STD clinics and will make necessary referrals.

More intensive clinical interventions will be called for the HBC team will refer cases to the SNEHA Community Care Center and also to specialist or to the district hospital and provide transportation to these services if needed. When faced with situations where the patient faces discrimination from the medical establishment, the HBC team will advocates for the patient rights to be accepted for care and treatment.

Material Help: HIV disease can pose severe financial stresses on families. For well-to-do families this can mean some hardships, for poorer families, this can drive them to starvation. When families are already barely making ends meet, having a breadwinner incapacitated by the disease can mean that the whole family is pushed to the brink of their existence. Further, nutritional support, a small amount of micro credit loans and other need based items will also be providing to the family members in order to effectively prevent infections and provide adequate nursing care at home.

Rehabilitation: Many families who have lost members to HIV/AIDS continue to be affected by the disease even after the death of their loved ones. Many survivors are without one or both parents are missing a family member who was an important source of income. To help these families, the HBC is trying to link up with other SNEHA programs as well as government schemes to generate income, such as micro-enterprise opportunities, Further the HBC team will try to find sponsors for orphaned children so that they can be raised up within their own homes.

4.Village Adoption Program(CAPART) We adopted Anantharam village of Geesugonda mandal to develop on all spears of life with the active involvement of the community. We want to see this village as self-sufficient village in 3 years. To achieve this goal we under taken the following programme in the village.

a) Diary Development: Under this activity we have identified most needy 22 beneficiaries and support with she buffaloes. At first we have given one buffalo to each beneficiary and after six months we provided another animal. By providing these animals income source has increased as well as nutritional status also raised.

b) Drinking Water Facility: As SC colony people are facing hard time to get sufficient drinking water, and to protect their health. Our organisation proposed and completed the digging of a wells and augmented with the existing system of drinking water to the main village for safe drinking water.

c) Drinking Water Augmentation: Though there is an overhead tank, the water connections are given only to certain colonies and rest is left behind without this facility. The water availability in summer is very limited even for these colonies. We dig a new well near to the village tank, instead of a bore and get connected to the old pipeline and extended the pipeline to S.C Colony also. Now the water is sufficient in the well and made equal distribution of drinking water to all the villagers.

d) Rain Water Storage: We constructed 10 rainwater storage structures in the village to store the rainwater in rainy season. With this Programme the villagers felt the need of the water and its genuine usage in the life. This water is using in the peak summer as drinking water for animals, washing cloths, etc.

e) Plantation: We have distributed fruit bearing plants to the 200 families i.e. Guava, Pomegranate, leman, Coconut and mango to each family. And also road side plantation with neem, Subabul, Sisu, Karivepa, Kanuga, Sarvi all these will improve the nutritional standards of the villagers as well as improve the environment.

f) Vermi Compost Unit: In this year we have done it with 15 vermi compost units to the agricultural labor who are having backyards to youth on large scale to improve their income. The vermin wash will be very useful for their backyard plants the vermin compost to sell in the city at the cost of Rs. 3/- per K.G. This vermin compost is using for fruit bearing plants and floriculture plants in the city. The villagers are also using this compost in there agricultural fields. This compost is more useful than the chemical fertilizer.

i) Tank Desiltation: It is desilted (250 tractor loads) in the village tank to raise the water storage capacity and the silt used in the farmer’s fields to improve the fertility of land. The improved tank capacity will be more useful in the summer to get drinking water for animals as well as the ground water will be improved a lot in addition to the water facility to the agricultural fields. In this activity all the marginalized farmers of the village was involved in silt application as well as deepening the tank. Most of the beneficiaries are from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes of the village.

j) SHG Linkages: As we have 12 SHG women groups in the village. We linked all these groups with Indira Kranthi Pathakam for matching grant after through training on group importance, training on accounting, the need of the transparency in the group. And these groups are meeting regularly with 15 days interval and they will discuss the social problems of the village, and formed as “Grama Samakya” (Village Association), all the IKP funds are floating through this Samakya. Now they are proposing to take up economical activity for the group.

k) Income Generating activities: In trades like mash-room cultivation, motor winding, cycle repairing, house wiring have given training to the village youth to improve there income. 14 village unemployed youth utilized this facility. All these youth have started their own independent units after training in the respective fields for 3 to 6 months.

5. Disability (Differently Abled Persons) :- SNEHA staff (4members) trained in Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) at RASS Thirupathi with the kind support of CAPART, New Delhi. We have made a survey in 5 mandals of Warangal district to form them as groups and avails government services like Certificates, Bus passes, Train passes, Aids & appliances. 1) We want to enable to DAPs to safeguard their self respect and join the mainstream of the society through counseling, confidence building, sensitization of the families and community and organizing them into common interest groups for sharing and cooperation. 2) To provide support services to overcome their disabilities through provision of aids and appliances, education, recreation and participation amongst the common interest groups. 3) To provide skill development and facilitate them to take up income generation activities through provision of working capital and laisoning with different Government and Non Government agencies. We have also distributed 14 wheel chairs, 5 earing aids and having close contact with the disabled persons in Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh.

6. Typewriting & Shorthand Centre: During the year SNEHA has trained 40 unemployed SC youth in type writing and short hand for a period of one year. During the course they were well trained by experienced faculty. All 40 trainees have appeared for the examination and 23 of them have passed in the examination. Apart from training to the youth SNEHA could also placed 68 trainees of the successful candidates with in 3 years in different institutions. All the trained youth are earning from Rs. 1500 to 2500 per month, it is a great achievement for the organization.
7.NPEGEL Programe: Under DPEP, SNEHA done lot of work to enhance the girl child enrollment at elementary level. Especially in Lambda communities (Thandas) discrimination towards girl children is very high. They treat girl child is ment for household duties, the family members including women in the family always give less priority even in food, health care, education and other issues relating to the development, the girl children always suppressing by the total family.

Most of the girl children remaining as illiterates or school drop- outs in their early ages mostly these children will attend to take care of their siblings, to perform household duties and some of them working as domestic servants. To eradicate the discrimination towards girl children, SNEHA conducted number of awareness programs at village level and school level. Through these programs, parents were made to understand the rights (equal rights) of the children, consequences of violation of their rights, importance of education etc., SNEHA also started ECE centers to enhance the girl child enrollment at elementary level. Through this program we mainstreamed 92 children in various Govt and private schools of the Mulugu Mandal. To motivate the children, to create good school environment of learning opportunities SNEHA distributed teaching learning material, sports material, music equipments, and books for library etc

8. Family Counselling Center: With the support of Central Social Welfare Board, New Delhi, we are organizing a Family Counselling Center at Kashibugga of Warangal. Its jurisdiction is the whole district of Warangal. In this center we are Counselling the couple who are at disturbed with many problems including psychological, dowry, mis-understandings, etc., when the disputes are not settling after many Counselling sessions we are at women side and giving legal aid services. The disturbed women are sending to the psychological Counselling at Psychiatrision. The destitute women are sending to the Short Stay Home and giving skill development trainings to stand on their own feet. Most of the family disputes are counseled and repatriated to their own family. Some of them are separating even after many Counselling sessions.

9.Creche Programe: With the support of Central Social Welfare Board SNEHA organizing 10 Crèches in 10 urban slums of Warangal. The main objective of this program is, to provide better health & nutritional care for children (below 5 years). The parents both mother and father who goes to daily labor work, they put their children into these centers and they collect their children when they come back to home. In the meanwhile the animators will take the responsibility of the children. We are providing supplementary nutrition and immunization services for these children. We are following the play way method to reduce the fear among the children about the school, now the children are habituating for school environment. In every center we have 25 children.

10. Awareness on Domestic Violence Act: As a part of Family Counselling Center and Short Stay Home, we organized many awareness camps on Domestic Violence Act, with the involvement of Police, Judiciary, well known women activists. These programs includes present problems of women, rights of the women, various steps involving in the problem solving process. At the final the participants gained knowledge on their rights and problem solving approach. The program also focused on the problems of HIV +women. In this program some of the positive women came forward and explained the problems facing by them and their families after became HIV+ve. They told, “Through these type of awareness programs people are sensitizing and gradually they are changing their attitudes”.

11. Consumer Awareness Program: A Mass Consumer Awareness program was organized in Geesugonda to sensitize people on how businessmen are cheating people. How weighs and measures are being mis-utilized, how certain adulterated products are available and what are their adverse effects that are causing etc, was well explained by the resource person at this meet. Especially how rural people are getting in to traps of these business people was also covered. Speaking on the occasion few adulterated products were highlighted like chilly powder and Oils. These people were also warned to check the measures while purchasing.

12. Environmental Program: In the eve of World Environment Day. During the programs the following inputs were given to the community: 1) Importance of environment conservation 2)Ill effects of environment degradation 3)Need of water conservation 4)Ill effects of more usage of pesticides 5)Need of non pesticides management. The programs have impressed the communities and many of them have initiated water harvesting pits and NPM methods.

Plantation: Apart from awareness generation the organization has also taken up Vanamahotsav in the month of June, July the plantation program organized in Sangem and Geesugonda mandals. As a part of this activity 500 plants have been planted on the roadside, on the bunds of tanks, school, Grampanchayat etc. Apart from this 4000 fruit bearing plants have been distributed amongst the communities for kitchen gardening. The impact of the program is good as the community has taken up the responsibility of caring the plants and they also have provided fencing to the plantations on their own.

13. Farmers Development Program: Keeping in view the pathetic situation of farmers, to control the cotton farmers suicides in Warangal the Agricultural Research Station Scientist Dr. Jalapathi Rao and his colleagues were involved in a training that was planned for farmers on various issues related to excessive use of chemical fertilizers. Environmental degradation, Present agriculture procedures, Excessive usage of pesticides and fertilizers, Importance of Integrated Pest management, Seeds (both adulterated and genuine) and best practices. Thou such meetings were organized in two mandals i.e. Sangem and Geesugonda where most of the farmers participated enthusiastically.

14.Women Development Program:- Our organization has conducted a 2 days training program to women on gender issue. Women being suffered in all sphere of life and men domination over women it is convincing to exist. Most of the atrocities over women occur due to lack of confidence, awareness and support from the society. Therefore keeping in view above all aspects a training program was organized where various women activists like Mrs.Katyayani, Reader, Kakatiya University and Mr. Pruthvi Raj a Social Activist had given inputs on genesis of gender bias and the present situation of women. Resource persons have with examples has explained the gender bias in all daily activities and life on a whole. It was told that gender sensitization means to make them realize the women’s role in family and society and era that showing of responsibility of family burdens and in decision making on social, economical, physical and other issues the women be given equal status.

On the 8th March, every year our organization has been organizing a rally and a meeting at public place just to bring awareness among society members on women issues and that if women are united, they can solve any problem come what may. This day being the International Women’s day, as activating of this kind will boost the morale of women folk and they also realize that they are part of the society and their presence as a group will sensitize other people to support the cause.

A special training program for women was organized on thrift and credit activity. The village women who are formed in to thrift groups the accumulated amount started rotating the amount. Now they are able to meet some of the consumption needs without depending on others for loan on high interest rate. However, to make the active, more systematic, we have organized training program on the management of the Thrift and Credit, financial methods and records to be maintained and rotation of the amount more justifiably. Since there are many Govt. schemes are available to support such self-help groups, our groups should be more strengthen in terms of management and documentation. This will also help them mobilize resources easily from the Govt. and banks.

15.Adult Education: In order to make adults literate, our organisation is running ten adult education centers in ten slums by arranging a teacher. In each center we had about 30 to 35 adult learners who were taught to read and write. Our volunteers were provided with books from adult education center of Warangal. Most of these learners are now able to read and write their names and are able to sign also. Apart from educate moral classes are also conducted to sensitize them on moral aspects. By this activity we are proud to say that many lives have been changed. We are also providing storybooks, picture books and other informative charts to sensitize these learners.

16. Animal Welfare: As part of animal welfare our organisation took up immunization of stray dogs and vaccinated them for this year also. Their puppies were collected and were given them to interested families to rare them. As one can find lost of cows stay on roads, especially at market places and in public places these cows were collected and sent to sheds, as they hinder flow of traffic. Few animals which not with accident or wounded due to various reasons were also taken care off and were medicated with the help of the Veterinary department.

Thus SNEHA had done quite a lot good work at micro level in a very unique fashion and the work is guided by certain important principles like sustainability of the development process, people participation and local initiatives, self-reliance and self-determination. SNEHA as work can be understood more deeply by interacting with people and communities with whom the institution is working.

Signature