Aghaz-e-Nau

AeN is working in collaboration with Legal Aid Center to provide training to Female Para legal Workers on drug abuse and HIV Prevention since 1994. AeN provides training to 40 Female Para legal Workers every year from 40 slums of Lahore. After completing training sessions these Female Para legal Workers conduct seminars in slums of Lahore under direct supervision of AeN. It is estimated that there are 8,000 Drug Users and approximately 1 200 female drug users with a very low number of injecting drug users. Females in these areas are using heroin, hash and local alcohol. Awareness of HIV transmission is increasing in these areas still many females are into high risk behavior including selling sex. It is estimated that approximately 50 per cent of Female Drug Users sell sex to earn their bread and butter and they are unable to negotiate safe sex. Almost each female is having 4-5 sex partners thus putting themselves at high risk of HIV/AIDS and other blood borne diseases. There is

AeN worked to provide treatment services to female with drug abuse problem from 2006-2009 and the project was funded by UNODC. AeN established two Drop-In Centers in Kachi Basti and Red Light Area, Lahore. The project was implemented with the following objectives: To provide drug addiction treatment and rehabilitation services to females with drug abuse problem To Provide primary health care services and treatment of STIs to females with drug abuse problem To provide HIV/AIDS awareness and education to females with drug abuse problem Implementation of behavior modification tools for assertiveness training, communication skills, role modeling, role rehearsal and negotiation skills for behavioral change and safer sex To develop linkages with existing VCCT facilities for HIV testing http://www.unodc.org/documents/evaluation/ProEvals-2008/PAKI35%20-FINAL.pdf

You can call me Mrs. X Y Z. I can't reveal my identity because of so many reasons but I would like to share my experience of recovery with others. It might help other females to get out of their shells. I know there are so many females like me wanting to quit alcohol but are unable to do so. They need to get educated and accept the concept of disease of alcoholism the way I did. I am married and a mother of two sweet children. My history of problem drinking goes back to 20 years. I started drinking at age 20 because of my husband, who was an alcoholic. Now we both are free from the disease of alcoholism. I am in recovery for more than one year now. I was 16 years old, living abroad and studying there. This was the time when I met somebody who was much older than my age. I fell in love with him and got married against my parents' will. Before getting married I knew he was heavily into drinking but for me it was acceptable or may be it was my childish thinking. I didn't know