Aastha Parivaar staff receiving Amazon donations
Aastha Parivaar works with sex workers, transgender individuals and wider marginalised communities throughout three districts of Maharashtra; Mumbai, Thane and Pune.
We conduct regular health camps for women and children in each of these districts, providing services including testing for HIV and sexually transmitted infections and HIV counselling. Often, the attendees come from slum areas with little to no basic necessities and are unlikely to get health checkups of their own accord. To combat this, we hold events and get togethers to encourage attendance and create a supportive community environment for our target population.
Recently, we teamed up with Amazon to encourage donations from the public through their ‘Wishlist’ feature. We created two separate Wishlists on Amazon, one for women and one for children. This gave members of the public the opportunity to purchase inexpensive but essential products which Amazon would deliver on their behalf. The donations may seem small and simple, but they are often out of reach for the women and children in these communities. At our most recent health camps, we began distributing the donations received from Amazon which has resulted in a significant spike in attendance.
An Aastha Parivaar community member receiving her gifts from Amazon
Furthermore, we reward regular attendees with extra gifts; such as beauty or household products, to ensure they continue to come for checkups and provide a good example for others.
The outcome of this initiative is a dual success for Aastha Parivaar. Not only were we able to give the vulnerable members of our community items which improve their daily lives; but through doing so we are extending the awareness and reach of the services we provide; thus stopping the spread of HIV and sexually transmitted infections. This aligns with our overarching goal of creating healthier, happier and empowered communities.