CHAHA

Named for the Hindi word for ‘wish,’ CHAHA was India’s first large-scale care & support programme for children, families and communities affected by HIV/AIDS.

With support from the Global Fund, the programme was implemented in four states – Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, and Tamil Nadu – by Alliance India in collaboration with LEPRA, MAMTA, PWDS, SASO, VMM, NMP+, Plan India, TASOSS, and 54 community partner organisations.

CHAHA was a child-centered, community-based care & support programme aimed at reducing HIV-related morbidity and mortality among children and adults by increasing social protection and enabling stigma-free access to services.

Over the life of the programme, CHAHA reached 64,056 children and their families in 41,974 households affected by HIV. In its initial design, the programme focused on providing direct services. Based on lessons learnt through implementation, CHAHA revised its approach to focus on linking beneficiaries with existing government-funded social welfare schemes.

[su_quote]Over the life of the programme, CHAHA reached 64,056 children and their families in 41,974 households affected by HIV. [/su_quote]

By increasing the capacity of government more broadly to respond to the needs of HIV-affected children and families, the programme was able to provide sustained access to critical services, improve health and wellbeing, and have an impact beyond HIV.