PI FOUNDATION:

ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT AS HIV

PREVENTION

NIH Pilot Study

Study funded by NIH to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health led by Dr. Susan Sherman

Explore the efficacy of providing a social entrepreneurial intervention to sex workers in Chennai, India as a means of HIV prevention

Chennai

HIV Risk

Investigate means of reducing HIV risk

Condom distribution, and even HIV prevention education, can have limited impact

HIV risk-taking is often economically motivated, as among female sex workers in India – where risk-taking is actually a survival or coping mechanism

Participants

The majority of participants were women in their 30s who have children and extended families for whom they need to care

Origins of Pi

Participants were offered HIV prevention education in conjunction with an intensive tailoring training program

It was found that participating in the program significantly reduced the risk of HIV in comparison with those who just received HIV prevention education alone

Origins, cont.

This success fueled the development of the nonprofit organization, the Pi Foundation, which partners with the well-known HIV prevention organization, YRG CARE in Chennai

Pi markets and sells cotton, eco-friendly bags which are produced by a team of women who have completed tailoring training as part of the HIV prevention project

Remuneration

The women receive a monthly participation stipend, travel expenses, full health benefits, as well as 100% of the profit from each bag they make

They can work or as many few hours as needed to accommodate their responsibilities to their family

Impact

Beyond reducing HIV risk, the Pi project has been found to significantly impact the lives of the women who participate in terms of their overall well-being

Pi Foundation: www.pibags.org

The Proof is in their Words

It was a difficult decision that I had to make. My husband squandered all the money on alcohol leaving nothing for us. There were days where my son and I had not eaten a single meal.

If Pi delivers what I am hoping it will, maybe I can tell my other friends too- trust me, there are so many women out there who are hoping a new life will come their way.

Aasha, 35 years old.