The Health Commission of the Catholic Bishops' Conference is establishing 45 community care centers (CCCs) in five States in India ,- West Bengal , Orissa, Bihar , Chattisgarh and Gujarat . Caritas India is a partner in its implementation, while Constella Futures will offer technical guidance .

The Objective of this Global Fund-Round VI supported program is to ensure access to treatment for opportunistic infection (OI) and to improve drug adherence by establishing Community Care Centers (CCC) for People Living with HIV and AIDS (PLHA); and i ntegrate HIV care and support services into existing healthcare facilities and build capacities and enable community-based care. The overall mission is also to prevent the further spread of the pandemic.

The Global Fund, with its innovative approach to international health financing crea ted a fund to prevent and treat AIDS, TB and Malaria, following a commitment taken up by the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on AIDS in June 2001 in Geneva .

The selection of the CBCI Health Commission as a Sub Recipient of the Global Fund was also due to the fact that it has a comprehensive Policy on HIV and AIDS, and the Commission was instrumental in establishing the CBCI-IGNOU Chair for the study programs on HIV in distant mode of learning; and due to the successful implementation of programs on prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) and voluntary counseling and testing centers (VCTC) in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, in collaboration with Catholic Medical Mission Board.

The implementation of the Global Fund - Round VI proposal comes as a clear growth from policy to praxis, and thus an attempt to create caring communities by the Church in India . 

It was in 2005 August, that the Church in India officially launched a comprehensive HIV and AIDS Policy of the Church in India , titled, "Commitment to Compassion and Care".  The Policy is the fruit of a wider consultation and an outcome of a participatory process of formulation.  

The project was started by June 2007, and envisages to operationalize 5 community care centers by end of October this year.

The 45 such Community Care Centers will be implemented in consultation with the respective State Aids Control Societies, Bishops of each diocese, and in collaboration with the Diocesan Social Service Societies, Regional Fora of Caritas India , Health Commission of the Regional Bishops' Council and the respective units of Catholic Health Association and the NGO partners.

The program is for a duration of 5 years, yet, all the 45 community care centers will be on ground by March 2009. Of these 45 Community Care Centers 25 will be established in the first year and the remaining 20 will be in the following year.  

Each CCC takes care of the medicine and nutritional support of the beneficiaries.

It is the first time that the Catholic Church in India is accessing financial support from the Global Fund.

The success of this program will be the comparative advantage of Faith-based groups in offering sustainable support to the people living with HIV. The comprehensive care offered through unique commitment and understanding is expected to bring much solace and support to the people living with HIV, especially in the states where healthcare infrastructure is otherwise so scanty. Thus the program is an attempt to fulfill the need projected in the third phase of the National AIDS Control Program (NACP-III) designed by the National AIDS Control Organisation of the Government of India.

four days staff orientation program will begin from September 19, 2007 in Delhi .

CBCI Commission for Health	Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI)
1, Ashok Place , Gole Dakkhana CBCI Centre, New Delhi-110 001 Tel. 011-23344470 / 23340774	157/ Staff Road , Gunrock Enclave, Secunderabad 500 009, A.P. Tel. 040-27868756 / 27848457