DURBAR : Join Indian Sex Workers in fighting HIV
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Dear Friends,

Durbar is an umbrella body that comprises sex workers’ organisations Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC), Usha Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd. (Usha), Komol Gandhar (Cultural Team), Binodini Srameek Union (sex workers’ union) and Sramajeebi Mahila Samity. Together, we represent 65,000 sex workers (female, male and transgendered, both brothel and street-based) and their children in more than 66 sex work sites in West Bengal (India). Since 1999, we run the Sonagachi Project and have successfully replicated the Sonagachi Model in 49 sex work sites through peer outreach, clinic services for STIs, condom promotion, social marketing and community mobilisation activities. Our success in preventing STIs and HIV among sex worker population and in increasing consistent condom use among sex workers is a well-recorded global success story.

Since 1997, our dream has been to establish a fully equipped hospital with OPD and IPD facilities, VCCTC and care for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) including treatment for OIs, tuberculosis and ART support, within the sex work site of Sonagachi. This facility will also house laboratories and a centre for research on STIs, HIV and communicable disease control. Our dream of building this hospital – a place where high quality medical care would be available for all – was born from long and bitter experience of discrimination and stigma that we sex workers faced whenever we visited a government hospital for care.

Following years-long advocacy, the Calcutta Municipal Corporation donated a piece of land in Abinash Kabiraj Street within the Sonagachi sex work site, and we have commenced building a 4-story hospital-cum-research centre there. We envision that over years, our Durbar Hospital will develop into a centre of excellence for STI/HIV care and for other communicable disease control and will function as a training centre for groups that work with marginalized populations susceptible to STIs and HIV infection. We also envision our hospital to provide healthcare to anyone who seeks care, without stigma and discrimination – a place that will be open to all!

We seek your generous contribution and support for our effort! Please donate willingly and with open hands towards fulfilling our dream of a hospital of our own: where sex workers and all people can access the best possible medical treatment without stigma and discrimination, without fear or favour at affordable costs!

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Please forward this email to 5 friends of yours and involve them in our noble cause as well! Contributions will be accepted in Account Payee local (Kolkata) cheques, demand drafts and wire transfers only, as per details below:

1. Contributions from individuals / organisations in India should be made payable to:
Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee A/c SSUK
A/c No.: 01100050169
SWIFT CODE (For Wire Transfers): SBIN IN BB 106
Bank Name: State Bank of India (Jorasanko Branch)
Bank Address: 1/1A Nanda Mullick Lane, Kolkata 700 006

2. Contributions from individuals and organisations from outside India should be made payable to:
Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee
A/c No.: SB 27051
Bank Name: Bank of India, (Vivekananda Road Branch)
Bank Address: 36/2 Vivekananda Road, Kolkata 700 007
SWIFT CODE (For Wire Transfers): BKIDINBBCOS

In Solidarity,

Roma Debnath (President), Swapna Gayen (Secretary)
Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee
12/5 Nilmoni Mitra Street, Kolkata 700006 (INDIA)
Ph: +91-33-25306619/25303148/25437560; Fax: +91-33-25437777
Email: dmsc@data1.in, sonagachi@sify.com
Website: www.durbar.org

Info about Songachi

http://hcc.med.vu.nl/artikelen/jana.htm
http://www.walnet.org/csis/groups/nswp/dmsc/index.html