Location: Kothavalasa, India
Funds Needed: $17,500
This legacy project provides life-saving care for 700 patients in India by funding an HIV clinic for a full year. It ensures patients receive regular treatment, medical monitoring, counselling, and essential medicines. The project protects vulnerable lives and helps people living with HIV receive care with dignity and hope.
Project Brief:
The New Hope Community Centre in Kothavalasa supports vulnerable people, including adults and children living with HIV, the elderly, and families in poverty. It currently cares for around 700 HIV-positive individuals, providing medical support, nutrition, and counselling.
For the past three years, New Hope has been a government-approved ART (Antiretroviral Therapy) distribution centre, allowing people to receive life-saving HIV medication close to home. This transformative treatment has improved health outcomes and effectively stops HIV transmission when taken regularly, allowing people to live long, healthy lives.
The Need
HIV remains a serious health challenge in India, especially in remote and tribal communities. People in rural areas of Andhra Pradesh often face stigma, poor access to healthcare, lack of transport, and limited health knowledge, making it difficult to stay on treatment.
People living with HIV can stay healthy if they take their medication regularly. Missing doses can weaken their immune system, lead to illness, and increase the risk of passing on the virus. Many patients miss treatment because of travel difficulties, fear of discrimination, or lack of food, which reduces the effectiveness of the medication.
Families affected by HIV are among the poorest in the region. Many struggle to access basic nutrition, which is essential for treatment to work properly. New HIV cases continue to be diagnosed locally, especially among young adults and tribal communities, highlighting the urgent need for ongoing, accessible support services.
The Solution:
This project ensures people can continue to access ART medication and care within their own community. By offering treatment close to home, New Hope removes the cost and long travel that often cause patients to miss medication.
The project will also provide nutritious meals at the ART centre, along with multivitamin supplements to support immune health. For families living in extreme poverty, basic food supplies will be given to reduce hardship and help patients stay on treatment. Included in project costs are the provision of over 14,000 meals which will bolster immune support and monitoring procedures.
Patients who miss appointments will receive personal follow-up and counselling, helping them continue care and cope with stigma or personal challenges. The project works closely with government health services to maintain accurate records and ensure patients remain within official monitoring systems. Together, this approach supports long-term health while restoring dignity and hope.
