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Greetings !

Alliance India continues to make strides in its mission to combat HIV/AIDS and promote inclusivity and healthcare access for all. In this edition of our newsletter, we bring you exciting updates and developments from our recent initiatives and collaborations.

   
   

Launching Project SPECTRUM: Community at the Core

   

In May, Alliance India launched Project SPECTRUM, a powerful step towards addressing substance use through a lens of inclusion, mental health, and harm reduction. Supported by the Elton John AIDS Foundation, this initiative is grounded in community leadership and aims to create safer, healthier environments for individuals affected by substance use.


From 20–21 May 2025, project teams from Delhi, Punjab, Manipur, and Karnataka gathered in Delhi for the National Project Orientation and Training Meet. Across two transformative days, participants dove deep into topics such as harm reduction strategies, monitoring and evaluation frameworks, and site-specific planning.


What made this training exceptional was not just the knowledge shared, but the spirit of collaboration and solidarity that emerged. Each participant brought with them stories from the ground—realities shaped by stigma, resilience, and the determination to bring change from within.


Project SPECTRUM is a commitment to ensure that support systems for MSM or Transgender person who use substances are rooted in compassion, evidence, and dignity.


   
   

Still Fighting: What IDAHOBIT Taught Us This Year

   

This International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), through a series of posts across our social media platforms, Alliance India chose to do more than just talk about LGBTQ+ identities—we are talking about discrimination that still affects the lives of these communities.


Community voices highlighted how trans people continue to face rejection within their own families, often labelled as a “bad influence” and denied basic emotional support. Schools and hospitals, instead of offering safety and care, can become sources of trauma for LGBTQ+ youth. For many gay and bisexual men, internalised shame and societal fear still force them to remain silent.


Workplaces often offer nothing more than symbolic inclusion, with LGBTQ+ individuals pushed into short-term or contractual roles without real opportunities. Public spaces are no safer, stares, mockery, and social exclusion remain routine for visibly trans or gender non-conforming individuals.


Our message this year is about: Respect, inclusion, and dignity.


   
   
   

Spotlight Story: A Story of Strength from the Heart of Vihaan

In Imphal, Manipur, lives a young woman whose courage is changing lives and rewriting narratives, Valentina, a 28-year-old youth living with HIV, and a fierce advocate for change has been living with HIV since 2005. But her journey with treatment only began a decade later in 2015. The delay was not just due to medical access, it was the weight of self-stigma and discrimination that held her back.


“Why me?” she recalls asking herself in her younger years. While visiting workplaces, she faced relentless stigma that people wrongly judged her identity and intentions simply because of her HIV status. These experiences deeply scarred her emotionally, often pushing her into isolation and silence.


Life took a devastating turn when she lost her father to liver cirrhosis. The grief was compounded by emotional and physical abuse at home. At her lowest, Valentina stopped her ART treatment. Her health deteriorated rapidly—her viral load spiked, and she required multiple blood transfusions.


Her mother, a pillar of strength and part of the Vihaan programme, stood by her side despite facing discrimination herself. Together, they began to heal. Through Vihaan’s Community Support Group (CSG) and Training of Trainers (TOT) initiatives, Valentina found a safe space to connect, grow, and find her voice.

“That’s when I realised I’m not the only one. I began to accept myself,” she says.


Valentina’s journey with Alliance India’s Vihaan programme became a turning point. Through CSGs and training platforms, she gained the confidence to share her story publicly, both at the district level and on national platforms. She transformed from a young woman battling stigma to a peer counsellor and community champion.

Today, Valentina is supporting other youth like herself. She also volunteers with local networks, reaching out to young people living with HIV, offering not just support, but hope.


Her mission is clear:
To be the voice for the unheard, the hand for the isolated, and the light for those still living in fear.

“I believe in healing, hope, and humanity. I will continue to give my best—not just as a youth living with HIV, but as a fighter, a listener, a friend, and a changemaker.”


Through Vihaan, Alliance India continues to stand with thousands like Valentina—empowering people living with HIV through care, support, and community-based services.

   
   
   

Voting at 62: A Sex Worker’s Fight for Identity and Inclusion

Hasena (name changed), a 62-year-old woman from the red-light district, has spent more than five decades living in the area. Her life has been shaped by hardship and trauma from an early age. Born in Murshidabad, she lost both her parents at just 12 years old. With no family to care for her, she faced severe violence and abuse as a young sex worker.


The stigma and emotional wounds she endured convinced her that returning to her hometown would be impossible—she believed society would never accept her. Throughout her life, Hasena lacked access to fundamental social entitlements. She had no Aadhaar Card, no Voter ID, and no bank account. This absence of identification documents denied her basic rights and services and left her questioning her place in the country. Without any official identity, Hasena felt invisible—excluded from the civic life of India.


Understanding her struggles, Asansol Durbar Samity, through Usha’s KP Grant Project, stepped in to support her. Their first objective was to help her obtain proper identification, beginning with a Voter Card. With the assistance of the KP Grant Project, Hasena successfully received her Voter ID. This single document marked a turning point in Hasena’s life. For the first time, she felt recognized as part of the nation's civic structure. In 2024, at the age of 62, Hasena proudly cast her vote in the Lok Sabha elections—a moment filled with empowerment and emotion. She expressed overwhelming joy and a renewed sense of belonging, saying the Voter Card made her feel like a true citizen of India. Receiving her Voter Card is just the beginning of Hasena’s journey toward full inclusion.


The next steps will involve obtaining her Aadhaar Card and opening a bank account. Hasena’s story stands as a powerful example of how focused support and advocacy can transform the lives of those pushed to the margins of society.

   
   
   

Claiming Identity, Inspiring Change: Bharti Ji’s Journey with 

Project SAHAS

In Jharkhand, lives Bharti Ji (name changed), a respected and influential Dera Nayak (Guru)—a spiritual leader within the Dera culture, a traditional socio-cultural system based on a guru-chela (mentor-disciple) structure. For many in the Dera community, the idea of integration into mainstream society is complex and painful. Decades of marginalisation, discrimination, and social rejection have led to deep-rooted mistrust and detachment from formal systems.


This isolation often means limited access to vital information, especially regarding identity documentation. Bharti Ji’s story reflects this reality—despite her social influence, she only had an Aadhaar card and lacked other essential identity documents like the TG (Transgender) card or Voter ID. Without these, she and others in her Dera were excluded from many government schemes and services.


It was through Project SAHAS, led by Alliance India, that a new path opened for her. After multiple one-on-one conversations and sustained advocacy by the SAHAS team, Bharti Ji came to understand the importance of legal identity and how it connects to accessing rights and entitlements provided by the Government. Once she understood the initiative's goal, she agreed to be formally registered under the SAHAS project.


With the team’s support, Bharti Ji successfully received her TG card and Voter ID—both critical in affirming her identity and inclusion in civic processes. These were more than just documents; they were symbols of recognition, dignity, and a step toward equal citizenship.

Empowered by her own experience, Bharti Ji is now encouraging others in her Dera to come forward, get their documents made, and claim the services and rights that have long been out of reach. Her leadership is creating a ripple effect—bringing change from within the community itself.


Bharti Ji’s story is a powerful testament to how community-led transformation is possible when trust is built, identities are acknowledged, and support is consistent. Through Project SAHAS, voices like hers are not just being heard—they’re becoming the agents of change.

   
   

As we continue to embark on these transformative journeys and make a lasting impact on the lives of the most marginalised, like  People Living with HIV, transgender and other such group. We invite our generous donors to stand with us. Your support fuels innovation, empowers individuals, and rekindles hope. Join us in shaping a brighter and more inclusive future for all. Your contributions make a world of difference. 


Thank you for being a beacon of change and a source of strength.

   
   

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