The Shalom Delhi Project is the largest of EHA’s projects. Begun in 2001, Shalom was the pioneering work in HIV/AIDS care in Delhi. Unbelievably, today Shalom is the only HIV care center in this city of almost 19 million people. It is estimated that at least 55,000 people in Delhi and 2.5 million across the country are living with AIDS.

The word Shalom means peace, but it also means quietness, wholeness, and wellness. Under the leadership of Dr. Rajni Herman, the staff at Shalom seek to care for the medical, emotional, spiritual, and social needs of people infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS. They have a small facility with just 10 beds, but they run a vast program of home-based care with very few staff. Many of the people they care for are widows and their children as well as transgender individuals (men who identify as women) who often work in the commercial sex trade. Many times, wives get HIV from their husbands and then unknowingly pass it along to their children. When these husbands die from the disease, their widows are left to support the family while struggling with the illness themselves. They are a very fragile, vulnerable, and marginalized group of people.

Medical care for patients with HIV/AIDS (as well as life-limiting diseases like cancer) is just one of the services that Shalom offers. They run literacy courses for the women and life skills programs for the adolescents. They train young people in leadership and educator skills, and help them to access higher education programs such as a nursing degree. Since few of the widows have work experience or much education, Shalom staff opened the Kiran Project, where they teach the women to sew and then market and sell the sewn products. The staff become deeply involved in the families’ lives and help them in countless ways.

It is amazing how Shalom’s tiny staff of 20 impact so many people so deeply. Many times, Shalom is the only place they feel seen and heard. We hope this newsletter has touched your heart and helped you learn more about this people group in India.