Shanker Foundation
Darjeeling, India
February 2009
Hari Chettri, Co-Founder
Hari was a an injecting drug user, and falling off a four story building and overdosing three times he proudly says, "I am still living, and it is God's will".
Hari discovered he was HIV positive in 2005 after he was admitted to rehab for his drug use. When he returned home from rehab, people stopped coming to his house because of his status. Whenever he would go out to fill a bucket of water at the public spigot, people would run away when they saw him. He used to tutor students in his home to earn money, and even they stopped coming. Facing the problem of being an outcast in the community, he became sad and started to devote himself to fighting for his rights and others in the HIV/AIDS community. He too came out and took the lead to fight for the rights that were denied people living with the disease.
Through this common goal, Shanker and Hari became acquainted with each other and together formed the Shanker Foundation. Today, Hari and Shanker are very proud of their contribution towards society by bringing HIV/AIDS awareness and education to the public and the medical community. Hari states, "This is not a profession, but a way of life".