Hyderabad NGO rescues HIV positive woman, four daughters from begging at Shaheenagar

Hyderabad: In a humanitarian gesture, volunteers of a city-based organisation, rescued and rehabilitated a 26-year-old poor HIV-positive woman and her four children from the Shaheenagar area. The woman was found begging near a dargah with her four little daughters.

After the rescue, the mother and the children were taken to Osmania General Hospital (OGH) for a check-up and took her home. The children, who were HIV negative, were admitted to government schools and Anganwadi centres subsequently.

Speaking about the incident, Jaison Deboreh, manager of the organisation Helping Hand Foundation (HHF) said, “Around 10 days ago, we spotted a woman begging near the dargah at Shaheenagar. Her husband had died of AIDS one-and-a-half years ago. She must have contracted the disease from him but was unaware of her HIV status. When we took her to OGH for a check-up, the tests confirmed that she is HIV positive. However, her children were declared HIV-negative. Her status was registered and she has been put on ART drugs. We will ensure that every month she gets her medicines free of cost.”

In the days after her rescue, the volunteers from HHF followed up on her situation. They visited her house in a slum area, paid her rent, stocked her home with rations and spoke to the neighbours.

“We got her room cleaned, which was in an unhygienic state. We also purchased clothes, blankets, groceries, utensils and other stuff for daily requirements and counselled her not to beg anymore. We will also be helping her get some ID proof like an Aadhaar card. Her daughters are aged between one and nine years. As a part of the rehab programme, the destitute children below three years were aligned to the nearest Anganwadi centre and the ones above five years, were admitted to the nearest Government primary school,” said Jaison, and added that HHF will support her initially with livelihood expenses and once the woman gets better, then efforts would be made to give her some kind of vocational training so that she can earn her livelihood without begging. The health and well-being of the family will also be monitored and tracked closely and regularly.

The 17-year-old organization HHF, managed by trustee Mujtaba Hasan Askari and assisted by over 150 volunteers, not only helps in rescuing and rehabilitating the destitute but also provides people in villages with free-of-cost treatment at various government hospitals in the city of Hyderabad. They have roped in government doctors and psychological counsellors to help the rescued.

To help the poor and homeless among us please reach out to the HHF helpline number on 8688828103.