Since 2007, MAP has been supporting the Indian organization Masstrust in its work with children and young people affected by HIV/AIDS in the rural region of Dindigul, in southern India. A recent field mission from March 2 to 17, 2025, led by President Donatella Campioni and Program Coordinator Nicolas Ryter, enabled MAP to meet 45 young program beneficiaries and their families, including 20 new ones this year. It was an excellent opportunity to take stock of their health, their educational progress and their future needs.
In the remote villages of Dindigul, the stigma attached to HIV is still extremely strong. Being HIV-positive often means exclusion, social rejection and isolation. This is why Masstrust’s team of 5 Health Outreach Workers acts with the discretion essential to protect the families and young people concerned. Among the young people we meet, several show encouraging signs: a CD4 count above 500, a sign of a healthy immune system, and an undetectable viral load, thanks to good compliance with treatment. But for others, the urgent need for more sustained care persists, particularly for new beneficiaries or those who have broken off their treatment.
Despite economic, health and social difficulties, a majority of young people are still in school, often with good results. Some even go on to secondary or higher education. But poverty, illness or even the loss of a parent can cause them to lose their way. That’s why the school support, supplies and sometimes even a simple daily meal, financed by the program, are all levers for success.
The visit was also an opportunity to talk at length with the Masstrust team. Their day-to-day work is demanding: long distances to travel between the 97 villages, listening to situations that are sometimes very difficult, the complexity of social cases. But their commitment, their closeness to the families and their in-depth knowledge of the terrain enable them to take targeted, human action.
Today, 152 families are supported by the program. But the needs are still great: to reinforce psychosocial support, extend nutritional support, develop vocational training for school-leavers, and above all, combat stigmatization, which remains one of the biggest obstacles to health and inclusion. Masstrust’s work, thanks to the loyal support of MAP and its donors, enables these young people to live with dignity, hope and support. And with every visit, smiles, life stories and plans for the future remind us of the importance of standing by those whom society too often forgets.
