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Goal:
To increase the availability and accessibility of prevention, care and
support services to orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), particularly
children of women in prostitution and women in crisis or at risk of
HIV/AIDS in Mumbai city.
Phulwari was a unique CCDT project. It was a Crisis Intervention Centre, offering services to women who are HIV positive and older children (8 – 12 years) infected/affected by HIV/AIDS. These women and children were admitted to Phulwari due to crises created by HIV. They hailed from the lower socio economic strata and were referred by various NGOs, hospitals and other CCDT projects. Phulwari was an interim shelter, which started in April 2001. The project’s aim was to enable women and children to cope with their immediate crises. The center could accommodate 25 children and 6 women at any given time.
Phulwari did not only provide interim shelter, it also provided counseling, medical, and nutritional services along with formal education, Life Skills Education and recreational activities. Women and children were helped to acquire skills that would enable them to be rehabilitated and reintegrated into society. Over the last few years, it sought to give service users opportunities to explore avenues that would have otherwise have been closed to them. Its multidisciplinary approach has helped in providing comprehensive care and support to the residents.
Phulwari, previously funded by USAID(through FHI), now continues to be a part of Ashray and is currently funded by USAID (through the AVERT Society).
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