22 Mar YOUR Story: Aman

Aman originally comes from Bhilwara district of Rajasthan, he was left alone in this world at the little age of 8 when he lost his parents because of AIDS. It was like everything spoiled when Aman tested reactive for HIV which resulted in total refusal in his paternal family due to existing stigma related to HIV/AIDS whereas his elder brother, Roshan (Differently Abled Person) has been accepted. His maternal brother Mr. Mahindra Singh took him to Jaipur (247 kms from Bhilwara) to look for an alternate care option for this little child. With the help of ART Centre in Jaipur, Mr. Mahendra Singh came to know about FAITH – AALINGAN and reached the centre.

Aman was struggling with frequent opportunistic infections particularly with sever breathing problem, his CD4 Count was just 92 and was severely mal-nourished. Considering the limited means of proper care and treatment support at home, Aman was immediately taken for the institutional care at FAITH – AALINGAN. At the time of his admission he came with a nutrition pipe.
It was not a tough task for Aman to mingle with other children at the care home because of the background of his admission and the attention given on his treatment in initial days.
He was given special attention by the staff and soon the improvement was visible. Afterwards he was put on ART treatment and within a period of one year his CD4 count raised to 1455 (in 2009) and remain above 1000 CD4 count/ml3. His BMI also normalised and improved. No major health complication was reported throughout his institutional care at FAITH – AALINGAN.
Aman has enrolled in the school for the formal education. He was not good enough in his studies during initial days but consistent effort by a tutor helped him to clear the exams. We can imagine the smile on his face when he passed the Board Examination for 10th standard last year.
Aman is an excellent dancer and he performed several times on different platforms. His dancing steps are quite clear, complete and attractive. He is good in performing arts, like drama and action. His hobbies include cricket and other outdoor games.
Aman is a sharp kid though sometime deviant and feeling low because of being rejected by his own family, which has now been established through counselling sessions and psychological exercises. He was under the special counselling support and that boosted his morale and made him more responsible towards himself than anything else.
With a proper re-integration process and the plan approved by Child Welfare Committee through an order, Aman was handed over to his maternal brother. Our child probation officer took a follow up on his living and health conditions by visiting his home. We found that he was doing well at his home and was taking his medicines properly; also he was happy to be back at home and was spending time with his family. Mr. Mahendra Singh and Aman made a promise to continue the studies but we came to know that he is not studying. In a meeting he indicated an interest in ending his formal education and develop in business. Considering his area of interest we planned a skill development programme in hospitality and linked him with an institute and encouraged him to explore the avenues to carry on his hobby of dancing.