2. PI FOUNDATION : ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT AS HIV PREVENTION

3. NIH Pilot Study  Study funded by NIH to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health led by Dr. Susan Sherman  Explore the efficacy of providing a social entrepreneurial intervention to sex workers in Chennai, India as a means of HIV prevention

4. Chennai

5. HIV Risk  Investigate means of reducing HIV risk  Condom distribution, and even HIV prevention education, can have limited impact  HIV risk-taking is often economically motivated, as among female sex workers in India – where risk-taking is actually a survival or coping mechanism

6. Participants  The majority of participants were women in their 30s who have children and extended families for whom they need to care

7. Origins of Pi  Participants were offered HIV prevention education in conjunction with an intensive tailoring training program  It was found that participating in the program significantly reduced the risk of HIV in comparison with those who just received HIV prevention education alone

8. Origins, cont.  This success fueled the development of the nonprofit organization, the Pi Foundation, which partners with the well-known HIV prevention organization, YRG CARE in Chennai  Pi markets and sells cotton, eco-friendly bags which are produced by a team of women who have completed tailoring training as part of the HIV prevention project

10. Remuneration  The women receive a monthly participation stipend, travel expenses, full health benefits, as well as 100% of the profit from each bag they make  They can work or as many few hours as needed to accommodate their responsibilities to their family

11. Impact  Beyond reducing HIV risk, the Pi project has been found to significantly impact the lives of the women who participate in terms of their overall well-being

12. Pi Foundation: www.pibags.org

13. The Proof is in their Words It was a difficult decision that I had to make. My husband squandered all the money on alcohol leaving nothing for us. There were days where my son and I had not eaten a single meal. If Pi delivers what I am hoping it will, maybe I can tell my other friends too- trust me, there are so many women out there who are hoping a new life will come their way. Aasha, 35 years old.