 At 38, Khasim, came close to committing suicide after finding out that he HIV-TB co-infection.
He had originally worked in the transport sector and at times had to travel long distances around India. During one of these trips he became HIV positive after sleeping with a sex worker. He later tested positive for HIV-TB and was distraught to find that he had also passed the disease on to his wife. Living with the twin ailments, the couple were worried about the future of their three daughters who attended Government-run school. The meager earnings that he brought home meant the family where also facing serious financial constraints. Feeling shattered and disgraced by the bleak future for him and his family he considered taking his own life.
However, one day he was lucky to hear a VMM outreach worker spreading awareness about HIV-TB as part of the KRISCHIP project. On listening to what they said he approached one of the projects microscopy centres and asked for help with his condition. Following this both he and his wife where immediately put on DOTS medication and received counselling sessions from the project staff on how to deal and live with HIV. The couple are now on course to make a recovery from TB and are better informed on how they can live with HIV while providing a brighter future for their daughters. Their children continue to go to school and are further supported by an educational programme implemented by the VMM for orphan and vulnerable children.
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