Help Children with HIV Achieve a Brighter Future
Donation protected
Support Orphans of Snehagram is a 501-c3 entity dedicated to supporting Snehagram (“Village of Friends”), an institution in rural Karnataka, India, that for many years has protected, treated, educated and raised hundreds of orphaned children born with HIV. Administered through Sneha Charitable Trust , a 501c3-registered organization, this outstanding program has cared for children aged 7 to 18 years old, ensuring their compliance with HIV medications, providing elementary and high-school level education, promoting physical fitness through regular sports, and raising them to be strong and responsible adolescents.
As the oldest youth graduate from Snehagram and move into the “real world”, they face myriad challenges related to social stigma, lack of support from their biological families, uncertain access to HIV medications, and often brutal competition for jobs and opportunities for higher education.
The statistics in Karnataka reveal the severe challenges facing the over 16,000 youth with HIV who attempt to live independently in mainstream society:
-30% become non-compliant with taking daily HIV medications because of hopelessness, poverty or inability to navigate public resources – this results in high rates of complications and secondary infections such as TB.
-40% cannot continue their education
-25% get only temporary employment as laborers and have no opportunities for up-skilling
-40% have no reliable support system, resulting in social isolation and severe psychological problems
To meet these challenges, Sneha Charitable Trust (SCT) has partnered with Teach For India (TFI) and Support Orphans of Snehagram (SOS) to spearhead a collaborative effort to develop resources and opportunities for youth living with HIV through their adolescence and early adulthood. The program, I’mpossible, is designed to improve the lives of these young adults after they leave the protected confines of Snehagram or other such sheltered spaces across southern India. The program name derives from the notion that although it may appear impossible at first for an HIV+ youth with complex physical, mental and emotional needs to succeed later in life, yet with the proper developmental and vocational tools in place, their goals and aspirations for adulthood both possible and realistic. Impossible can be transformed to I’mpossible.
The I’mpossible concept rests on a well-validated theory of change – to develop strong fellowship among the youth themselves and thus build support to mediate positive social change for young persons living with HIV.
With a holistic, comprehensive approach, the fellows will strive to understand the challenges that they and their peers face, find the resources, networks and companionship to overcome them, and develop the mentoring skills and attitude to help younger graduates as they enter mainstream society. The I’mpossible program will help the fellows take ownership of their lives to become healthy and productive adults.
Our Vision:
Every youth with HIV will actively participate in the fellowship, learn to lead a holistic and productive adult life, and support others to do the same.
Our Mission:
Transform orphaned youth living with HIV into strong, self-reliant, productive adult advocates for positive social change, by comprehensively addressing their needs for education, health, psychosocial support, vocational training and life-skill education.
Our Goals:
-Develop a sustainable livelihood program with access to health care, vocational training and social support for orphaned youth living with HIV, using a Peer-Leader approach.
-Prepare adolescents and youth living with HIV to join mainstream society as resilient, responsible, self-reliant adults
-Enable youth living with HIV to be gainfully employed in a professional career or business.
Our Team:
Supervised by SCT and TFI, 4 recent graduates of Snehagram will serve as mentors to a cohort of student-fellows across 12 partnering programs and in the community. Each student-fellow will supervise and provide guidance to other youths living with HIV.
Our Activities:
-Peer-led outreach to connect with critical services related to health, education and coping.
-Small group learning and feedback activities
-Life-skill training
Our Projected Outcomes in the first year:
-Engage with 500 youth every month, mentoring their education, health and social integration
-Train 300 youth in life-skills
-Involve 125 youth in the Learning Exchange Platform
-Perform 50 case studies, documented to showcase the interventions
-Identify and train 50 new youth leaders
-Link 100 youth to a livelihood based training program
For More information, visit the Support Orphans of Snehagram website below:
https://saveorphansofsnehagram.org/
YOUR GENEROSITY AND UNDERSTANDING CAN HELP ACHIEVE THESE AMBITIOUS BUT CRITICAL GOALS!
IN ADDITION TO FUNDS WE HAVE RECEIVED FROM GRANTS, WE NEED $12,000 BY MARCH 31st TO FUND THE FIRST YEAR OF THE I’MPOSSIBLE PROGRAM. THE FUNDS WILL SUPPORT THE MENTORS' AND FELLOW'S TRAINING AND HOUSING FOR A FULL YEAR. PLEASE HELP US LAUNCH THIS IMPORTANT EFFORT!
As the oldest youth graduate from Snehagram and move into the “real world”, they face myriad challenges related to social stigma, lack of support from their biological families, uncertain access to HIV medications, and often brutal competition for jobs and opportunities for higher education.
The statistics in Karnataka reveal the severe challenges facing the over 16,000 youth with HIV who attempt to live independently in mainstream society:
-30% become non-compliant with taking daily HIV medications because of hopelessness, poverty or inability to navigate public resources – this results in high rates of complications and secondary infections such as TB.
-40% cannot continue their education
-25% get only temporary employment as laborers and have no opportunities for up-skilling
-40% have no reliable support system, resulting in social isolation and severe psychological problems
To meet these challenges, Sneha Charitable Trust (SCT) has partnered with Teach For India (TFI) and Support Orphans of Snehagram (SOS) to spearhead a collaborative effort to develop resources and opportunities for youth living with HIV through their adolescence and early adulthood. The program, I’mpossible, is designed to improve the lives of these young adults after they leave the protected confines of Snehagram or other such sheltered spaces across southern India. The program name derives from the notion that although it may appear impossible at first for an HIV+ youth with complex physical, mental and emotional needs to succeed later in life, yet with the proper developmental and vocational tools in place, their goals and aspirations for adulthood both possible and realistic. Impossible can be transformed to I’mpossible.
The I’mpossible concept rests on a well-validated theory of change – to develop strong fellowship among the youth themselves and thus build support to mediate positive social change for young persons living with HIV.
With a holistic, comprehensive approach, the fellows will strive to understand the challenges that they and their peers face, find the resources, networks and companionship to overcome them, and develop the mentoring skills and attitude to help younger graduates as they enter mainstream society. The I’mpossible program will help the fellows take ownership of their lives to become healthy and productive adults.
Our Vision:
Every youth with HIV will actively participate in the fellowship, learn to lead a holistic and productive adult life, and support others to do the same.
Our Mission:
Transform orphaned youth living with HIV into strong, self-reliant, productive adult advocates for positive social change, by comprehensively addressing their needs for education, health, psychosocial support, vocational training and life-skill education.
Our Goals:
-Develop a sustainable livelihood program with access to health care, vocational training and social support for orphaned youth living with HIV, using a Peer-Leader approach.
-Prepare adolescents and youth living with HIV to join mainstream society as resilient, responsible, self-reliant adults
-Enable youth living with HIV to be gainfully employed in a professional career or business.
Our Team:
Supervised by SCT and TFI, 4 recent graduates of Snehagram will serve as mentors to a cohort of student-fellows across 12 partnering programs and in the community. Each student-fellow will supervise and provide guidance to other youths living with HIV.
Our Activities:
-Peer-led outreach to connect with critical services related to health, education and coping.
-Small group learning and feedback activities
-Life-skill training
Our Projected Outcomes in the first year:
-Engage with 500 youth every month, mentoring their education, health and social integration
-Train 300 youth in life-skills
-Involve 125 youth in the Learning Exchange Platform
-Perform 50 case studies, documented to showcase the interventions
-Identify and train 50 new youth leaders
-Link 100 youth to a livelihood based training program
For More information, visit the Support Orphans of Snehagram website below:
https://saveorphansofsnehagram.org/
YOUR GENEROSITY AND UNDERSTANDING CAN HELP ACHIEVE THESE AMBITIOUS BUT CRITICAL GOALS!
IN ADDITION TO FUNDS WE HAVE RECEIVED FROM GRANTS, WE NEED $12,000 BY MARCH 31st TO FUND THE FIRST YEAR OF THE I’MPOSSIBLE PROGRAM. THE FUNDS WILL SUPPORT THE MENTORS' AND FELLOW'S TRAINING AND HOUSING FOR A FULL YEAR. PLEASE HELP US LAUNCH THIS IMPORTANT EFFORT!
Fundraising team (3)
Nikhil Balasubramanyam
Organizer
Sugar Land, TX
Valli Balasubramanyam
Team member
Ajay Balasubramanyam
Team member