The inventors
of computers & Internet would have hardly imagined one day
it would help some of the most unlikely people get over their
sense of isolation, deprivation and help build self-esteem.
Nor did Ashok Rau founder
of Freedom Foundation,
a Bangalore based voluntary group offering treatment programs for
alcoholic, drug-addict and HIV positive people. Think how
computers would become change agents for his beloved HIV positive
kids. Currently the Foundation supports 141 HIV positive kids apart
from several hundred HIV positive adults; and offers them a home
away from their homes. The Foundation also offers anti-retroviral
medication. Ashok can be reached at freedom@bg1.vsnl.net.in Ashok
fought against all odds in the wake of a personal tragedy to establish
Freedom Foundation in 1992; as a care center for people dealing
with alcoholism and drug-addiction. However Ashok's work came into
limelight when the first HIV case was isolated in the southern state
of Tamil Nadu in 1986; and UNAIDS/WHO started alerting India and
the world that there are 5-7 million HIV positive people in India,
making it one of the single largest countries in the world having
HIV positive cases. And what a challenge it has been for him-apart
from facing the social stigma of running a care center for sexually
transmitted diseased people; not getting any form of moral, financial
or material support apart from that of close knit family & friends.
However his persistence, fierce determination and courage; brought
hopes to a large number of deprived people including HIV positive
kids Gradually the Center started gaining reputation as an ideal
low-cost community-based home by the Indian National AIDS Control
Organization and the State AIDS Prevention Society. Ashok Rau has
also been nominated by the President of India as a member of the
Technical Resource Group on HIV/AIDS.
The rehabilitation
& restoration of HIV positive kids has been a top priority for
Ashok. He has tried to help kids cope with the psychological social
stress resulting from their condition. Freedom Foundation has maintained
complete transparency with the kids about their being HIV positive
and has tried to work towards opening up a space of acceptability
to the reality of AIDS; first amongst the kids and their families
and at the second stage amongst the community. The Foundation
tried to persuade several schools to admit their children for a
few years; before they could convince a Missionary Charity School
(the name of the school has been kept confidential in deference
to the wishes of the Freedom Foundation and that of the School
as well ) to admit their HIV positive kids. He was successful
in his endeavors and managed to get 15 kids admitted in the school.
Slowly the kids started learning English apart from local language
Kannada. The school teachers have also been very helpful in their
assimilation process. The teachers counseled other children to accept
the Freedom Foundation kids amongst them; encouraging them to play
in groups. They also took the onerous responsibility upon themselves
of educating the children about the ultimate fate of the Freedom
Foundation's kids. They tried to alert calmly and carefully that
their friends may not always be with them; and that every
day spent at the school was critical for the kids. It has
been very tough for the teachers as well as for the school management-handling
objections of parents, dealing with the trauma of the Freedom Foundation
kids and with their insecurities, systematically working on a process
of assimilation for the HIV positive kids.
The Foundation prioritized
the assimilation needs of the kids by allocating their computers
used for accounting for their education. The machines were upgraded
and made net enabled, The kids were given basic training to use
computers and the net. They were provided details of bulletin boards
and URLs of other HIV positive organizations; so that they could
chat with their compatriots elsewhere.
Due to this bold step,
communication floodgates opened at the Freedom Foundation.
The kids started using the machines for long hours simply chatting
with other HIV positive kids from other countries. The chats present
a very fascinating perspective into the minds of HIV positive kids
and this may be novel experiment first of its type in India whereby
technology has been deployed for restoring self-esteem and confidence
in a group of kids who had nothing but despair and fear in their
hearts until couple of years.
Ten year old, Mahesh
asked his HIV positive friend, a much older & wiser boy from
South Africa "How long are you going to live? I want to meet
you, but may not get the chance at all. I am too weak to travel
to South Africa. No one will take me there. My friends here tell
me I may not live to see this Diwali (India's festival of lights).
Can you come down to Bangalore and meet me and my other friends?".
With utmost wisdom and care for his long-distance friend in his
heart; the South-African kid tried to counsel Mahesh. He said "
Don't be afraid. Even if you are not there, all of us will
meet in the heaven and celebrate Diwali & Christmas together.
Don't despair; you may get well. Our Doctors were telling us we
now have a good chance of recovery" . So it went on and on-hours
& hours of chatting; interaction; exchange of sorrow, fear,
happiness and insecurity. They went to bed happier. After all they
were united in their spirits and in their minds about their state;
and about their lives. The Internet and the Computers were all that
were needed to transform these lives; waiting silently for their
deaths.
Twelve year old Ramaiah
mailed his Thai friend a colored scanned picture of his favorite
Indian movie-actor Shahrukh Khan. His friend sent him a thank
you e-mail from Bangkok and asked him if he needed the picture
of his favorite hero who happens to be a Thai basket ball player.
Ramaiah was thrilled to know and narrated the e-mail to his HIV
positive parents seeped in India's film-culture; that basket
ball players could be celebrities as well.
Says Ashok Rau emotionally
"At least they don't think about death constantly now, thanks
to the computer and to the Internet"
Mr. Ashok Rau
Freedom Foundation Trust
180 Hennur Cross, Bangalore-560 043 (India)
www.thefreedomfoundation.org
Ph# 91-80-5449766/544 0134
e-mail : freedom@bg1.vsnl.net.in
Article Posted by :
Chetan Sharma-Founder
& Managing Director, Datamation
361 Patparganj Industrial Area, Delhi-110 092 (India)
www.datamationindia.com
Ph#91-11-2167230/2169162/2167973/2168017
Cellular # 9811039482
