Visit to Theme Charity in Tamil, Nadu India - April 2009


President Jill Pirdas visited our Theme Charity, Arogya Agam, in Tamil Nadu, India. The Charity is run by her brother, John Dalton.

The Ovia family.  They are all HIV positive.




Three Aravanis: Transgender (women trapped in men's bodies)




With Kirtiga, our staff nurse's adopted baby.




Tucking into a traditional meal after a special ceremony which celebrates the 7th months pregnancy of a staff member's daughter in law.  The daughter in law will now go back to her own parent's HOME until the birth of her baby.




Pongal (harvest) festival.  Sugar cane, pongal sweet rice, babanas etc. Even the cattle are painted up and fed this feast.




My brother John, director of Arogya Agam with his adopted son Kumar who is on anti retroviral treatment and doing well.




Representatives of Women's Federations set up by Arogya Agam




Self with jack fruit tree! Part of the Silver Jubilee celebrations for Arogya Agam.




John Dalton celebrating Pongal (harvest festival)




An elder in a remote village.




A visit to a staff member's HOMEfor lunch.




John Dalton with members of the Positive People's Association in Theni. Arogya Agam was instrumental in getting this self help group off the ground.




John with HIV positive lads at a hostel.  Not all hostels accept infected children, and this one was a day's drive from Arogya Agam.




Positive People's Association notice board.




Collecting and carrying wood for cooking is hard work but we always find time to smile!




Mutusami (Lord of Pearls) showing the effects that AIDS can have on the skin.  If he is good about taking his ART (which he isn't) this will clear up.




Demonstration for women's rights in Aundipatti town organised by the Women's Federation that Arogya Agam facilitated. Campaigning against female infanticide amongst other issues.




HIV positive girls at a hostel.  We are encouraging families to keep children at HOMEby helping out with allowances.




The brightest of faces in spite of difficult circumstances.




Mixing Pongal rice.




John Dalton at a monthly meeting, checking medical reports and distributing allowances to the poorest of the families who are affected or infected by HIV/AIDS




Man up an arecanut tree.  The nut is chewed along with a betel leaf and lime.  An acquired taste!




A meeting with HIV infected children at Arogya Agam.  Counselling by our staff nurse, Shanti, and the distribution of allowances.




Kumar, John Dalton's adopted son, sorting out his anti-retroviral treatment for the week.  He is responding well, although the illness has stunted his growth somewhat.