Founded in 1995, Sankalp Rehabilitation Trust provides care and support to street-based drug users and seeks to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in Mumbai, India. These drug users, 70% of whom are migrants, mostly inject ‘brown sugar’, a crude form of heroin. Blood-borne infections constitute a major health issue for injection drug users (IDUs) with major implications for the rest of society as well. From among Sankalp’s own patients, approximately 9.5% of IDUs were HIV-positive and another 34% were infected with Hepatitis C.

Since most of the street-based drug using population uses brown sugar, and since it is often administered by injection, steps need to be taken to keep these users free from infection, healthy and alive until they can find help and make the decision to quit drugs. That’s where Sankalp’s philosophy of Harm Reduction comes in, reducing rates of transmission and prevalence of HIV and Hepatitis C, lowering levels of crime and providing users with healthcare services and monitoring (especially TB) other infections. Finally, this work helps reach many Drug Users and connect them to a network of support and programs like detoxification and rehabilitation when each drug user is ready.

Appeal

Since all our services are primarily FREE, and the demands for supplementary services like nutrition, TB drugs and HIV/AIDS support are increasing, Sankalp Rehabilitation Trust is always looking out for donations from individuals and institutions to enable us to continue our mission and help improve countless lives.