The prostitutesare all members of the town level Mukta management comittees formed to manage community issues and set up as part of the HIV/AIDS intervention project, Mukta, implemented by Pathfinder International Maharashtra.

The event is a follow up to the first such convention held in March last year in which 1800 prostitutesfrom the project had participated.

Michele Andina, Project Director, Pathfinder International said, “with the formation of the various committees to deal with advocacy, management and programmatic issues, there was a need for members on such committees acquire the necessary perspective and skills to manage their day to day functioning. Navi Pahaat II aims to impart these learnings through a consultative process.”

Inaugurating the event, Marathi film and stage actor Prashant Damle remarked that this ‘coming together’ of women from various districts symbolises the collective strength and the immense contribution of the community in managing HIV/AIDS on the ground.

He called upon the community women to take charge of their own health, never compromise and get into the “discipline” of maintaining their health standards.

The two day event will see the community women participating in sessions on leadership skills, understanding roles and responsibilities, managing resources and handling conflicts.

On day one, the prostituteswere detailed about the functions of all committees and through guided discussions were involved in the designing of a support group for PLHIV.