Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Recognition
Recently, Princey and the members of PWN+ met over 40 delegates from the Global Fund, who were in Sri Lanka for their Board Meeting. A communities meeting was held between the delegate and the communities at Galadari Hotel, Colombo, followed by visits to the offices/centres. These meetings helped clarify Sri Lanka's status, available funds and services, and the possibilities. The final meeting was held on Sunday 16th June at the Hilton, where Princey was presented with an award of recognition for her work in the field.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Princey, Founder of PWN+ Sri Lanka
Princey Mangelika is the Founder and Executive Director of Positive Women’s Network Sri Lanka and President of the Governing Board. Is also a member of the Asian Pacific Network and the International Positive Women’s Network. Former Chairman of Lanka Plus for three consecutive years, and Director and President for three years. Former member of CCM. Winner of the Red Ribbon Award in 2012.
Princey in the limelight
International:
The story of Princey
The story of Princey
through the eyes of our bloggers
The Red Ribbon Award
On 25th July 2012, the Positive Women's Network was awarded the Red Ribbon Award for their outstanding work as a grass-roots level organization working in the field of HIV and AIDS, under the category of "Treatment, Care, and Support". PWN+ was one of ten organizations from around the country to receive this award. The event was held in Washington D.C., and was attended by many eminent personalities and HRH Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway; Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS; Jim McDermott, Member of the US House of Representatives; and Marisol Touraine, Minister of Health and Social Affairs of France addressed the Special Session, while Nobel Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi delivered her remarks via video message.
Speaking at the ceremony, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel
Sidibé said, “The winners of the Red Ribbon Award 2012 have accomplished so
much with so little. They work at the grassroots level in very challenging
situations to ensure that vulnerable groups and people living with HIV get the
information, services and opportunities they need”. The award recognizes
outstanding work in communities by grass-roots level organizations and intends
to strengthen communities to stop and reverse the spread of HIV and AIDS.
Please visit http://www.redribbonaward.org/ for more information regarding the Red
Ribbon Awards 2012.
Click here for the press release by the RRA Secretariat
about the event.
Friday, June 7, 2013
The progress of PWN+
Since PWN+ was established in 2009, it has opened two drop
in centres which are operated by People living with HIV (PLHIV) for PLHIV
to provide a safe, secure and confidential environment, free of stigma and
discrimination where they can obtain counseling services, financial and
emotional support.
PWN+ focuses on the following areas:
- Reduce the discrimination & stigma HIV+ women face when accessing health community services
- Empowering of PWN PLHIV members - capacity building
- Advocacy - advocate global and national policies for PLHIV for their care & support
The centre now has a membership of 214 PLHIV and their
affected families and children.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
If you would like to donate time
As a grass-root level organization, with only three staff members, we are constantly in need of volunteers.
We require assistance in many areas, such as in liaising with other networks/organizations, carrying out administrative work, and in organizing workshops.
Volunteer with us to make a change in someone's life, to develop your skills, and to form long-lasting friendships.
If you would like to volunteer, please email us at pwnprincy@gmail.com or call us on +94 719 184196
We require assistance in many areas, such as in liaising with other networks/organizations, carrying out administrative work, and in organizing workshops.
Volunteer with us to make a change in someone's life, to develop your skills, and to form long-lasting friendships.
If you would like to volunteer, please email us at pwnprincy@gmail.com or call us on +94 719 184196
If you would like to donate money
There is a substantial financial burden for people living with HIV and their families in accessing and receiving HIV care, both before and after starting Anti Retroviral Treatment (ART), although the burden is higher after starting ART. Research suggest that 45% of all respondents suffered catastrophic expenditure, indicating that paying for HIV care is likely to cause poverty for many people living with HIV.
Currently we provide financial assistance for PLHIV for medicine and laboratory tests that cannot be done at government hospitals. Also, we pay Rs 10,000 per month for PLHIV who visit the organization for various needs, Rs 10,000 per month for delivery of medicine and medical reports, Rs 69,000 for administration expenses, while our monthly expenses for feeding, housing, and providing care for those that stay at the centre is Rs 45,000 although it is not adequate.
If you would like to donate, please send us an email at pwnprincy@gmail.com or call us on +94 719 184196.
All donations will help an isolated HIV+ woman to connect with other positive women for the first time.
Currently we provide financial assistance for PLHIV for medicine and laboratory tests that cannot be done at government hospitals. Also, we pay Rs 10,000 per month for PLHIV who visit the organization for various needs, Rs 10,000 per month for delivery of medicine and medical reports, Rs 69,000 for administration expenses, while our monthly expenses for feeding, housing, and providing care for those that stay at the centre is Rs 45,000 although it is not adequate.
If you would like to donate, please send us an email at pwnprincy@gmail.com or call us on +94 719 184196.
All donations will help an isolated HIV+ woman to connect with other positive women for the first time.
Our impact and our partners
Our Impact
As a self-help, volunteer driven, non profit organization, we take great pride in what we have achieved so far in challenging stigma and social discrimination, improving the socio-economic livelihoods of people living with HIV (PLHIV) as well as changing stereotypes of HIV at the national level. We have empowered our PLHIV members by helping them build their capacity, implement their own projects, and by serving as change agents for PLHIV. We also delegate the ownership of PWN+ projects to members by involving members from project design to implementation, to monitoring and evaluation. Also, we have tied up with partner organizations to establish
micro-finance projects for PLHIV as well as providing knowledge on treatment literacy through workshops through a collaborative fund.
PWN+ has been in the forefront of advocacy work, having been a partner of the National Strategic Plan for HIV and AIDS, and has been actively involved in advocating the global and national policies for PLHIV for their care and support. It is a member of AIDS Foundation Lanka and CCM, and have been a leading advocate for PLHIV rights and services in Sri Lanka. The organization has single-handedly helped to uplift the lives of PLHIV, by bettering their and their families' living standards by introducing them to sustainable methods of income generation, while protecting their human rights and caring for their physical and mental well being.
Our Partners
Community for Concern Society (CCS)
CCS is a non-profit, charitable, non-governmental Christian organization. CCS provides all funding required to run one of the drop-in centres under PWN+. The funding covers costs for rent, utility bills, necessary medicine and testing for members, costs for home visits and counselling members and affected families, travelling costs for members, meals, monthly allowance for 3 members, and sundry expenses.
Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka (FPA Sri Lanka)
FPA Sri Lanka is the pioneer institution to initiate and establish a space for Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services in the country. The FPA provides technical support, food, capacity building for members of PWN+, and works with PWN+ to provide necessary medication for PLHIV when the funds from CCS cannot cover the costs as well as all other emergency situations.
Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH)
The IDH provides care and support for hospitalized PLHIV, conducts awareness programmes for health staff and members of PWN+ on nutrition, and provides care for PLHIV. The IDH works closely with PWN+ to provide all medical care/medicine that the hospital cannot provide. The IDH informs PWN+ of medication and testing that is required so PWN+ can buy or carry out the necessary tests. It also refers patients for counselling and post hospital care to PWN+. From there, PWN+ tests sexual partners and families of PLHIV and refers patients to counsellors. Dr Ananda Wijewikrema, Consulting Physician of IDH has served as a key strength and support to Princey throughout.
Alliance Development Trust (ADT)
ADT supports the second centre which is more of a live-in centre, that is run by PWN+ by providing finances for rent, utility bills, etc., as well as for legal or technical support. Every month, ADT facilitates
awareness programmes on nutrition, medicine, and SRH for members at PWN+. ADT also supports livelihood activities by providing the core grant for start-up businesses and provides guidance for members to
successfully implement the same.
As a self-help, volunteer driven, non profit organization, we take great pride in what we have achieved so far in challenging stigma and social discrimination, improving the socio-economic livelihoods of people living with HIV (PLHIV) as well as changing stereotypes of HIV at the national level. We have empowered our PLHIV members by helping them build their capacity, implement their own projects, and by serving as change agents for PLHIV. We also delegate the ownership of PWN+ projects to members by involving members from project design to implementation, to monitoring and evaluation. Also, we have tied up with partner organizations to establish
micro-finance projects for PLHIV as well as providing knowledge on treatment literacy through workshops through a collaborative fund.
PWN+ has been in the forefront of advocacy work, having been a partner of the National Strategic Plan for HIV and AIDS, and has been actively involved in advocating the global and national policies for PLHIV for their care and support. It is a member of AIDS Foundation Lanka and CCM, and have been a leading advocate for PLHIV rights and services in Sri Lanka. The organization has single-handedly helped to uplift the lives of PLHIV, by bettering their and their families' living standards by introducing them to sustainable methods of income generation, while protecting their human rights and caring for their physical and mental well being.
Our Partners
Community for Concern Society (CCS)
CCS is a non-profit, charitable, non-governmental Christian organization. CCS provides all funding required to run one of the drop-in centres under PWN+. The funding covers costs for rent, utility bills, necessary medicine and testing for members, costs for home visits and counselling members and affected families, travelling costs for members, meals, monthly allowance for 3 members, and sundry expenses.
Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka (FPA Sri Lanka)
FPA Sri Lanka is the pioneer institution to initiate and establish a space for Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services in the country. The FPA provides technical support, food, capacity building for members of PWN+, and works with PWN+ to provide necessary medication for PLHIV when the funds from CCS cannot cover the costs as well as all other emergency situations.
Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH)
The IDH provides care and support for hospitalized PLHIV, conducts awareness programmes for health staff and members of PWN+ on nutrition, and provides care for PLHIV. The IDH works closely with PWN+ to provide all medical care/medicine that the hospital cannot provide. The IDH informs PWN+ of medication and testing that is required so PWN+ can buy or carry out the necessary tests. It also refers patients for counselling and post hospital care to PWN+. From there, PWN+ tests sexual partners and families of PLHIV and refers patients to counsellors. Dr Ananda Wijewikrema, Consulting Physician of IDH has served as a key strength and support to Princey throughout.
Alliance Development Trust (ADT)
ADT supports the second centre which is more of a live-in centre, that is run by PWN+ by providing finances for rent, utility bills, etc., as well as for legal or technical support. Every month, ADT facilitates
awareness programmes on nutrition, medicine, and SRH for members at PWN+. ADT also supports livelihood activities by providing the core grant for start-up businesses and provides guidance for members to
successfully implement the same.
Positive Women's Network, Sri Lanka
Our Vision
To be the organization with the best support and
services for people living with HIV in the entire South Asia region as well as in Sri Lanka.
Our mission
In order to uplift the lives of people living
with HIV, we aim to better the living standards of PLHIV and their families by
introducing them to sustainable methods of income generation, while protecting
their human rights, and caring for their physical as well as mental well being.
We also aim to increase the knowledge of HIV/AIDS among all sectors and thereby
work towards reducing the prevalence of HIV in society.
Inception: 2009 November 03
The work we do:
Counselling
Visiting families (need-based)
Caring for those who have been stigmatized and
separated from society until re-integration
Forwarding to tests and obtaining medicine
Providing medicine and tests not offered by
hospitals
Providing medicine and tests for side effects and
opportunistic infections
Programs to raise awareness on reducing stigma
and discrimination
Media appearances (with photos)
Training for self-employment
Lending money for self-employment
Providing resource training
Need-based support at funerals
Monthly awareness raising programs
· On Nourishment
·
On Sexual and reproductive
Health and ARV
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