Nireekshana ACET: A Place of Confident Hope | practice English with Spotlight

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The video introduces Nireekshana ACET, a medical clinic in Hyderabad, India, that serves as a beacon of "confident hope" for patients suffering from HIV, AIDS, and leprosy. The name itself is significant, combining the Telugu word *Nireekshana*, which means hope, with *ACET*, representing action, care, education, and training. When these diseases first emerged in the 20th century, they caused widespread fear and stigma; people avoided those who were sick, often leading to isolation and death without treatment. The clinic was founded by Dr. Sue Suna and his wife, Dr. Luvania Sena, who initially worked at a leprosy research center before noticing that many HIV-positive patients had nowhere else to turn for help. Motivated by their faith and a desire to serve the suffering, they transitioned their focus to treating HIV/AIDS, eventually opening their clinic in the living room of their home when they could not find commercial space due to societal prejudice. Overcoming significant challenges, including rejection from building owners who refused to rent to them because of the nature of the patients, the Sunas persevered by treating patients in their home for over a year before moving to a guest room and later into a donated building filled with old machinery. Their approach went beyond simple medical treatment; they provided personalized care that other hospitals lacked, offering counseling and time with doctors to every patient. Dr. Suna utilized affordable antibiotics like Cartrazaxol to prevent infections and keep the disease in a manageable stage, significantly reducing mortality rates. The clinic also addressed the root causes of poverty and despair by teaching women practical skills such as cooking, soap-making, and sewing, allowing them to earn an income and support their families independently after being abandoned by infected husbands. The impact of Nireekshana ACET extended deeply into the lives of individuals and communities, exemplified by the story of Laxmi, a woman who was left alone and sick after her husband died of AIDS. Through treatment and vocational training at the clinic, Laxmi recovered her health, learned to sew, and eventually became a trainer herself, helping other women in need. Her children were able to attend school, with two becoming nurses and one entering the financial industry, illustrating how the clinic helped break cycles of poverty and illness. The success of their work contributed to a dramatic decline in AIDS-related deaths and new HIV infections in India, with statistics showing an 81% drop in deaths since 2010, placing the country ahead of global trends. Ultimately, Nireekshana ACET represents more than just a medical facility; it is a testament to the power of compassionate action and unwavering hope in the face of a devastating crisis. The clinic transformed from a small operation in a living room into a major center that has helped thousands of patients over twenty years, winning the war against AIDS alongside other institutions in India. The video concludes by emphasizing that the hope offered by the Sunas and their team is confident and active, giving patients the belief that they will not die tomorrow but will instead live to see their children grow up. This story serves as an inspiring example of how love, education, and medical care can overcome fear, stigma, and disease, offering a path to recovery and dignity for those who have been marginalized by society.

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[music] Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Jillian Woodward. [music] >> And I'm Patrick Woodward. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live. India was dying. A disease was spreading. The more people got sick, the less others wanted to help. No one wanted to get the disease. People died from it. Some who were sick never told anyone. They did not want to be avoided. They did not want to lose their friends and family. They died without [music] getting treatment. Other people with the disease tried to get help, but there were not enough doctors or the treatment was not good. India was in trouble. Someone had to [music] do something. Someone had to sacrifice. Someone had to act even if he did not have all the answers. Today's spotlight looks at nerik shana asset. Nerik shana means hope in the Indian language Telugu. [music] Asset means action, care, education and training. Nerik Shana is a medical clinic in Hyderabad, India. The clinic treats patients with HIV, AIDS [music] or leprosy. >> HIV means human immuno defficiency virus. It is a virus that attacks the human body's immune system. The immune system defends the body against [music] germs like bacteria and viruses that can cause diseases. HIV and AIDS first appeared in the 20th century. For many years, [music] HIV was not recognized. The first cases of AIDS were officially reported in the United States in 1981. If a person with HIV does not get treatment, the virus can lead to AIDS. AIDS [music] means acquired immuno deficiency syndrome. It is a disease that weakens the body's [music] defense against illness. It is the most advanced stage of [music] HIV. People with AIDS who do not get proper treatment [music] will die within one to 3 years. Leprosy is a disease that affects the skin. It leaves red patches or areas on the skin called lesions. Leprosy can weaken a person's muscles. It can also cause a person to go blind. Leprosy has been around for thousands of years. Both leprosy and HIV are contagious. This means they can spread from one person to another. For many years, people were frightened of catching leprosy from someone who had it. They were afraid of the strange lesions on the person's body. They did not want to look that [music] way. When the first cases of HIV and AIDS were reported, people were scared. They believed they could easily get the disease from someone. AIDS [music] killed many people. It took years for doctors to discover proper treatment to stop the disease from getting worse in a person's body. People did not want to be around someone with HIV or AIDS. They did not want to get the disease and die. >> In 2003, Dr. Sue J.Suna was the director of a leprosy research center in Hyderabad. His wife, Dr. Luvania Sena, was a scientist at the center. The doctors began seeing more patients with HIV at the leprosy center. These HIV positive patients could not find help anywhere else. >> Dr. Sunna also saw the number of his leprosy patients decrease. He thought it was time to concentrate on HIV and AIDS patients. One day, a mother and father brought their little baby girl to Dr. Sunnitha. The parents and their daughter were all HIV positive. Dr. Sunna said, "My heart was drawn to that child. I carried her in my hand. I felt that I needed to make that change from leprosy to caring for people with HIV. >> Dr. Sana and his wife were both followers of Jesus. [music] They knew the Christian Bible teaches believers to help the sick and [music] suffering. They left the leprosy center to start [music] a clinic for people infected with HIV [music] and AIDS. They continued to treat leprosy patients. But HIV and AIDS [music] cases were reaching record numbers in India. Millions of people were infected with [music] HIV. Over a 100,000 Indians died each [music] year from AIDS. >> Many building owners in Hyderabbad were willing to rent rooms to the Sunnas for their clinic until they discovered it was for HIV and AIDS patients. Then they said no. Building owners did not want anything to do with HIV or AIDS. For 6 months, the Suns looked for a place where they could open their clinic. [music] While searching, Dr. Sana [music] worked at medical camps all over Hyderabad caring for HIV and [music] AIDS patients. Finally, his wife, Lavana, suggested they open the clinic in the living room of their home [music] until they found a building. They used their sofa as a medical examination table. They kept their medicines cool in their small refrigerator. They named their clinic Nirik Shana asset. More patients began visiting the Sunna's home. Dr. Sunnitha treated 150 people in his living room each month. Some of the children started asking their parents if they could eat with the Sunnas. Soon the Sunnas were making lunch for all the patients. They were sharing their plates and glasses with HIV and AIDS patients. Dr. Sunnitha had always believed that these patients deserved proper medical treatment and care. But it was not until he opened his home and shared meals with them that he looked at them in a new way. Dr. Sunna said >> that is how God taught us. That is how we learned that these [music] people are no different from us. >> The Sunas ran Nerik [music] Shana asset in the living room of their home for a year. Then a Christian organization helped them move the clinic upstairs to their [music] guest room. The Sanas saw patients in [music] their guest room for a year and a half. Finally, a Christian minister from Korea [music] visited the Sunas. The minister wanted to help them. He found a building nearby that used to make audio cassettes. It was full of old machinery and broken [music] cassettes. The minister told Dr. Sunna, >> "This [music] is the place you should move into, and I will pay the rent [music] for another 2 years." >> The Suns slowly cleaned [music] up the rooms. They saw more patients. Narik Shana became popular in Hyderabbad. It was one of the only places where patients [music] with HIV and AIDS could get quality treatment. At the [music] time, the Indian government did not have a good program [music] to care for HIV positive patients. Many doctors were [music] still scared to treat HIV patients. Before long, Nerik Shana [music] Asset was helping 1,000 HIV [music] positive patients each month. Dr. Sana and his workers offered each [music] patient time with a doctor. They offered counseling for HIV [music] positive patients. Other hospitals could not offer each [music] patient this type of personal attention and time. >> Dr. Sunnitha's treatment was effective. He read that in studies in Africa they had used a simple medication called Cartraaxazol. It was an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections. By using Cartraaxazol, Dr. Sunna was able to prevent over 20 infections in an HIV positive patient. Also, the medicine was not expensive. This medicine helped prevent many patients illnesses from developing into [music] AIDS. It kept the disease in the HIV stage where it was manageable. Narik Shana helped many women whose husbands had [music] infected them with HIV and then left them. The women were alone, sick, and had no way of making money. Workers at Narik [music] Shana asset taught these women how to cook, make [music] soap and sew. They wanted the women to learn practical skills that they could use each [music] day to live and make money. The clinic also began helping families who could not pay to keep their children in school. They provided enough money to pay the school fees. Over the next 20 years, Nerekshana asset helped at least 600 children receive an education. One of the many women Narik Shana Asset helped was named Laxmi. Her husband would not stop drinking alcohol. He had [music] HIV and gave it to Laxmi. Their house was in very bad condition. Her husband would not help her. He later died of AIDS. Laxmi thought about [music] selling her body to make money to support her three children. She visited Nirk Shana. Dr. Sana treated her. Laxmi's health slowly improved. Nirik Shana assets workers taught her how to sew. They taught Laxmi how to feed her family better food. After several years, Laxmi joined [music] Nerik Shana Asset as a trainer. She helped other women just as she had once been helped. Nerk Shana Asset was also able to help Laxmi's three children go to school. The workers at the clinic were able to watch Laxmi's children grow up. Two of the children went to school and became nurses. The other child went to college and got a job in the financial industry. For years, Nerik Shana asset fought [music] through the worst of the HIV AIDS crisis in [music] India. Slowly people got better. According to Anuja Juswal, senior assistant editor at the times of India, Nurik Shana asset [music] and other clinics and hospitals around India are now winning the war against AIDS. Just wall wrote, >> "AIDs related deaths have dropped 81% since 2010. This is one of the biggest [music] drops globally. New HIV infections have fallen by almost 49%. This places India ahead of [music] what is happening in the rest of the world. The word neric shana means hope. But it is a special kind of hope. It is the kind of hope that expects things to improve. It is a confident hope. For the Sunnas and their faithful workers at nearshana asset. They offer this hope to their patients every day. Their patients believe they will not die tomorrow. [music] They will be healthy. They will live to see their children grow up. Have you ever known someone with HIV, [music] AIDS, or leprosy? Did you spend time with them? Have you always felt [music] comfortable around them or did it take time to adjust? You can leave a [music] comment on our website at www.spotlightenglish.com. [music] You can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram, and X. You can also get [music] Spotlight episodes delivered directly to your Android or Apple device through our free official [music] Spotlight English app. The writer of this episode was Peter Anderson. The producer was Mitio Oaki. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted for this episode and voiced by Spotlight. No AI or artificial intelligence was used in [music] this episode. Spotlight episodes are written, voiced, and produced by real people for real people, no matter where in the world they live. This episode is called Nerik Shana Asset, a place of confident hope. We hope you can join [music] us again for the next Spotlight episode. Goodbye.