Women & Children's C.A.R.E.
Center

Community Resource Center in Namakkal

The C.A.R.E. (Concern for AIDS Research and Education) Center, founded by Professor N. M. Samuel, M.D., is a partner organization focused on providing care for people living with or affected by HIV and AIDS. Originally a medical clinic, the program has evolved into a resource center for the Namakkal community. Support includes health care navigation and mental health counseling. Monthly nutritional supplements are provided, as well as income generating projects for multiple individuals.

The Clinic has operated thanks to generous donors, with the Center for Health and Hope providing 100% of the organization's operating budget. Former director, N. M. Samuel, was previously the President of the AIDS Society for Asia and the Pacific. 

The clinic epitomizes the Center's mission of supporting and advocating for persons affected by HIV and AIDS through programs of education, prevention, care, and treatment. In addition to meeting primary goal of serving women and children living with or affected by HIV and AIDS, the clinic provides additional services as funds are available, namely:

• HIV positive persons are treated without regard to their ability to pay, but because they have a health need that must be addressed.

• Monthly nutritional supplements are provided to HIV-positive people who need more food if they are to successfully respond the powerful antiretroviral drugs.

• Eye clinics, since people infected with HIV often discover dramatic changes in their eyesight, making it more difficult to work, read, and do ordinary tasks. 

• Providing extra help to people in need; such as a child who needs braces to be able to walk, and a woman who needs financial support to go to a specialist.​