Individual counselling sessions are held daily. This is handled by a team comprising of senior recovering users and professional staff. Group sessions are held twice daily. The sessions are facilitated by a counsellor. Family counseling sessions are held every Saturday. During such sessions, family members are encouraged to interact and learn from each other’s experiences. Individual and group counselling sessions also take place with the counsellors. 

A specialized aspect of the work is related to Substance Abuse and Alcoholism. In January 1989, a Day Care and Counselling Centre was started with the help of the then Ministry of Welfare, Government of India. To help users, a holistic approach has been adopted to encompass their emotional, mental, physical, social and spiritual dimensions.

Counselling cells have been set up in various schools in the city to deal with problems of adolescents. The organization has been invited to be on the advisory panel of the ICSE Board for the mental health of children. 

Community based Outreach and Awareness Programmes

Community based Outreach and Awareness Programmes are conducted among the community and high-risk groups in most areas of Kolkata through street plays, puppet shows and video shows, using the mobile van donated by UNODC. 

Recovering users visit these areas daily to befriend and motivate the using clients to attend Day Care. To build rapport and trust, Injecting Drug Users are shown care and compassion through Needle exchange and are motivated to attend Day Care Centres, and when they are ready they are sent for de-addiction.

De-addiction Centres

De-addiction Centre is being run in Ramchandrapur on the outskirts of the city. The centre is fully equipped to accommodate 30 persons at a time. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India from March 1 1999 assist this centre.

The women’s wing of this de addiction unit caters to 5 ladies at present but the response is so great the this would require expansion in the near future. 

Rehabilitation

In partnership Arunoday Midway Home and Extension Care Centre

Rehabilitation and aftercare facilities are available at Arunoday Midway Home, Narendrapur and Extension Care Centre. Street level community rehabilitation with day care facilities is also provided. They are run on therapeutic community principles.

Night Shelter

The Street Addicts Needle Exchange and Awareness Programme (SANEAP) began in 1996, with which came the homeless addicts need for shelter on their journey towards Whole Person Recovery (WPR).

Responding to this need the Calcutta Samaritans started a night shelter – the first of its kind in India - in 1997. The shelter, comprising of three rooms with basic amenities i.e. a bathroom and a kitchen, has a provision for 12 beds – or rather mats on the floor with bedding - for the residents. 

The night shelter expenditure in terms of infrastructure, recurring and non-recurring expenses is low. Besides, being community based it is an ideal best practice to be replicated across the country.

Prevention of AIDS, STDs, Awareness and Care 

In 1992, the organization launched an HIV/AIDS awareness programme. Health care clinics were set up in Central Calcutta, Basirhat, and Topsia. A mobile clinic functions in Sealdah, Jaan Bazaar,Strand Road, Maidan and Park Circus areas. Sexual health intervention with special emphasis on diagnosis and treatment of STDs is done through these PHCs. The beneficiaries of PASAC include Commercial Sex Providers, Drug Dependents, Migrant Labourers – rickshaw pullers, porters, thelawalas, Street Children and children of Sex Providers.

Clients are referred to the School of Tropical Medicine for HIV testing but the pre and post-test counselling is done at PASAC. ICDS projects are being run in the different areas in partnership with the government. 

Adult literacy programmes are conducted for sex providers and rickshaw pullers. 

Pathology Laboratory

An equipped pathology laboratory has been set up at our administrative headquarters to provide subsidized services for malarial parasite testing, MP, VDRL, TB, LFT and also to test the ill effects of drug abuse.

Sentinel Surveillance Site for IDU’s

Selected as a sentinel site for IDU’s by the West Bengal State AIDS Prevention & Control Society it is the only one run by an NGO in the region. With greater emphasis being laid on the implications of Injecting drug use and HIV this is a milestone in its history. 

Background: 
Sentinel Surveillance has started in the state of West Bengal since the year 1996. In the year 2002, West Bengal States AIDS Prevention & Control Society (WBSAPCS) has selected The Calcutta Samaritans (Calsam) as Sentinel Surveillance Centre for IDUs (Injecting Drug Users). Amongst the 19 (9 for ANC, 9 for STD patients and 1 for IDUS) Sentinel Sites in the state, Calsam is the only NGO selected as sentinel sites.
Methodology: 
Blood samples were collected from IDUs from the counselling centre of Calcutta Samaritans from 1st August to 15th November 2002. Criteria for inclusion of IDUs was- unlinked anonymous and consecutive
samplings. Along with HIV, surveillance of Syphilis, Hepatitis B & Hepatitis C was also done.
Testing method was ELISA for HIV. Hepatitis B & C and VDRL test for Syphilis in the reference laboratory at All India Institute of Hygiene & Public Health and RPR at field level.
Results: 
Total 205 samples were collected, out of which 204 were male. 60% were in the age group of 30-44 years. 95% were resident of urban area. 3% were migrant. Majority (60%) from the age group of 30-44 years. 56 of the IDUs were illiterate. Occupation wise: 44% unemployed, 32% unskilled workers
and 5% transport workers. HIV prevalence rate was 1.46%. 21% were VDRL positive, out of which 43% of were illiterate & 33% were unskilled worker. Hepatitis B & Hepatitis C prevalence was 5.4% & 43% respectively. 67% of the migrant had been infected with Hepatitis C virus. Rate of the infections amongst STD patients, Antenatal Clinic Attendees (ANC) & IDUs were as follows:

	Syphilis	Hepatitis B	Hepatitis C	HIV
STD Patients	2.49	1.89	0.69	2.4
ANC	1.19	1.41	0.25	0.3
IDUs	20.3	5.4	42.9	1.46

Conclusion: 
HIV infection had just taken steps into the IDUs population in Kolkata, but high prevalence of Hepatitis C may indicate unsafe injecting practice. So, risk reduction programme should be implemented at the
earliest. A Behaviour Surveillance Study had also been recommended. Manual on bio hazards and its disposal should be translated in local & simple language, mainly for the paramedics & field level staffs.

Research and Development

A Unit was set up to facilitate documentation, training, capacity building and research. This unit has been involved in process documentation among flat-based sex providers, KABP study among the migrant laborers, RSAs in Jamshedpur and Calcutta, a qualitative study on Women Substance Users in Aizawl and border areas of West Bengal. A study on the vulnerability of Rickshaw-pullers in the streets of Kolkata is being done assisted by ACTION AID.