Project Hridaya – 2016-2021

Improving access to harm reduction services and building capacity of frontline workers.  Supported by Frontline AIDS, Alliance India implemented Hridaya in five states of India: Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Mizoram and Sikkim. The project was designed to address the capacity and service delivery gaps and raise the standards of the national HIV prevention programme.  Considering the changing patterns among drug users and their sexual behaviour as per the recent national studies, Hridaya project added to the design – a pilot intervention at one site in Delhi to address the unmet needs of spouses and female partners (FSP) of male IDUs and Female Injecting Drug Users (FIDU). The intervention provided information and awareness on the prevention and treatment of HIV and sexually transmitted infections as well as related services. The FSP intervention aimed to develop a differentiated model of delivering essential services to the unreached FSPs of male Drug Users as well as Female Injecting Drug Users. The programme has been successful in strengthening harm reduction services for people who inject drugs (PWID), enhancing the capacity of TI NGOs, the formation of state drug-user forums to support community members/groups become part of the decision-making process, building the leadership of frontline workers, sensitizing and engaging law enforcement agencies. The programme is complementing the national programme by closely working with the State AIDS Control Society (SACS).