Died 11 February 2005 | ||
Occupation Social Worker, Activist | ||
Ek dhaga sukhacha ajji vijaya lawate ani prati ajji pratibha vighne
Ms. Vijaya Lawate, (known as Vijayatai Lawate) was a social worker who worked for the upliftment of sex workers and especially their children in Pune, India so that they will not fall in trap and vicious circle. She founded the organization named Manavya, which primarily takes care of children who are born HIV positive.
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Work
Vijayatai spent 35 years with Sarvesham Seva Sangh. She worked tirelessly to aid commercial sex workers (CSW) by providing medical care, education and support services for their children. Much of her work focused on those living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.
Until 1997 Lawate worked for Nihar.
Lawate founded the organization Manavya to take care of children and women living with HIV. She first collected twenty-five children in a temporary rented home in Indiranagar in 1996. There she encountered problems in terms of health services and educational facilities. She moved to ten different locations before she bought land in Bhugaon, approximately 10 km from Pune, India. On 25 November 2000, the children in her program moved into this home.
She died on 11 February 2005. However, her altruistic work with Manavya has been kept alive by volunteers and by the trustees.
Recognition
Because of her tireless work for the society, Vijayatai was bestowed with many awards, including: