Help Mahesh Give HIV+ Children A Bright Future

At the tender age of 3, Rajesh* lost both his parents to AIDS. Born HIV positive, Rajesh was abandoned on the streets by his relatives. The little one didn’t have anyone to care for him. As a result, he developed multiple health complications and his condition was critical - he was running out of time.

That’s when Mahesh Jadhav came to his rescue. He immediately transferred the child to a government hospital and got the treatment he needed. Today, Rajesh lives in Mahesh Foundation’s care home - Asha Kiran. Rajesh loves to play cricket and aspires to be an engineer one day. Today, there are so many children whose lives have changed because of Mahesh Jadhav. And he wants to give them a chance of a bright future by building a hostel for HIV+ girls.



Mahesh Foundation’s Incredible Journey

“In 2010, while distributing fruits at a government hospital, I met a mother who was on her deathbed. She told me her 4-year-old was HIV positive, and I was shocked. A few days later, the mother passed away, and her relatives abandoned her child in the hospital. The child was terribly sick and the doctors had lost all hope. But I knew he could survive. I asked the doctor’s if I could care for him, and he recovered within a week.” - Mahesh Jadhav, Founder, Mahesh Foundation



That was the beginning of Mahesh Foundation in Belagavi, Karnataka - an NGO to empower and uplift the lives of HIV infected and underprivileged children. Under this, he started Asha Kiran (a ray of hope), a home for HIV positive orphans. What started with one child, has now grown to over 45 children who are HIV positive and have no one else to care for them. Along with the care home, Mahesh also runs a community school for HIV infected and underprivileged children. He carries out various awareness programs and offers educational support for over 4000 children in five districts of Karnataka with over 160 volunteers and 6 teachers.

Mahesh has dedicated his life to helping these children and hasn’t lost a single child at Asha Kiran to HIV - this is a testament to the love and care they receive at the care home.
However, all of this hasn’t been without its fair share of challenges.



Stigma And Challenges

HIV positive children face so much stigma and exclusion on a daily basis. 

“A few of our students were even asked to leave the examination hall of the school that they had gone to write in. My heart went out to them. They worked hard all year, and now they were being discriminated against. But I fought, and finally, they were allowed to sit back in. These are just some of the things they have to face on a daily basis. There’s so much stigma that people ask me and my family members if we are HIV positive because we take care of so many children! So much so, that my first marriage alliance was even broken off because of the work I do.”



But none of this has stopped Mahesh. He continues to give them the education, opportunities and care they deserve. Today, there’s a new challenge - the Covid-19 pandemic.



How You Can Help

Due to the change in laws, boys and girls are expected to stay in separate hostel buildings now. To abide by the law and give the children the best opportunities, Mahesh started building a new block for the girls, but was forced to stop the construction due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We rely on individual donors, and so many people have lost their jobs or their families...it’s been a difficult time for them. So we haven’t received the support we usually would get. This building will help 100 HIV positive girls who are full of life and are working towards a bright future.”



Mahesh needs your help to get construction material to complete building the hostel for HIV+ girls. He is also getting more and more enquiries every day, and this building will help him give more HIV+ children a bright future.

Your support will make a world of a difference to these HIV+ girls.

About The NGO:
Mahesh Foundation was started by Mahesh Jadhav in Belagavi, Karnataka to empower and uplift HIV+ and underprivileged children. He started the Asha Kiran home, which takes care of all the needs of HIV+ orphans and gives them a safe and secure place to live in. He also has a community school and supports the educational needs of over 4000 HIV infected children from five districts of Karnataka. Mahesh has received many accolades for impacting hundreds of lives.

*Name has been changed to maintain confidentiality 

Note: All the donations towards this campaign is eligible for Indian Tax Exemption.