Udaan Trust is an Indian non-governmental organisation operating in the state of

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

. It is the first HIV/AIDS organisation founded by homosexuals living with HIV/AIDS.U.S. Agency for International Development
Directory of Associations of People Living with HIV/Aids, July 2004
, accessed February 19, 2012 Udaan focuses on issues of sexual health within the homosexual and transgender communities, particularly with regard to the prevention of

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

. In order to accomplish this, Udaan provides services such as condom distribution, sex education, counseling, and medical services to at-risk populations. Udaan also attempts to increase awareness of issues relevant to the rights of homosexual and transgender individuals and people living with HIV/AIDS. The organisation does not merely provide services to these individuals - it is meant to reflect their interests, as Udaan employs MSM, TG, and PLHA people (men who have sex with men, transgender, and people living with HIV/AIDS, respectively). Each of the six members of the board of directors is a person living with HIV. Udaan is funded through personal donations, and attends to a network of an estimated 1500 people living with HIV. It has offices in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

Thane District Thane district (Pronunciation: �ʰaːɳe previously named Taana or Thana) is a district in the Konkan Division of Maharashtra, India. At the 2011 Census it was the most populated district in the country, with 11,060,148 inhabitants; however, i ...

Raigad District Raigad district (Marathi pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, �aːjɡəɖ, previously Colaba fort, Colaba district, is a district in the Konkan division of Maharashtra, India. The district was renamed to Raigad fort, Raigad after the fort that ...

Jalgaon Jalgaon () is a city in Maharashtra, India. The city is located in North Maharashtra, and serves as the administrative headquarters of its namesake district, the Jalgaon district. Jalgaon is colloquially known as the “''Banana City of India ...

Nashik Nashik (, Marathi: aːʃik, also called as Nasik ) is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated on the banks of river Godavari, Nashik is the third largest city in Maharashtra, after Mumbai and Pune. Nashik ...

, and

Ahmednagar Ahmednagar (), is a city located in the Ahmednagar district in the state of Maharashtra, India, about 120 km northeast of Pune and 114 km from Aurangabad. Ahmednagar takes its name from Ahmad Nizam Shah I, who founded the town in 1494 ...

. Udaan operates within the framework provided by Avert Society, a joint enterprise of the U.S. and Indian governments. It was among a number of similar organisations criticised as ineffective by India's National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) in June 2011.

History

Udaan Trust founded in 1992, in the state of

. On March 7, 2011, officials of the U.S. Agency for International Development visited Udaan to conduct a review of its work. On March 13, 2011, Udaan donated two ambulances to the Gurdaspur police and staffed them with drivers and paramedics.

References

External links

* {{LGBT in India LGBT culture in India HIV/AIDS organizations in India HIV/AIDS prevention organizations 1992 establishments in Maharashtra Organizations established in 1992 Health charities in India Organisations based in Maharashtra