Sweekar foundation is a young and growing organization, registered under the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950. Vikas Kurne is a young and confident youth having a diploma in NGO management. He stays in a small flat in Vikhroli with his police inspector father, mother and two younger sisters. He had to fight the opposition from his family to get into social service. Being the only son his parents wanted him to do engineering or MBA rather than talk to sex workers about condom and unsafe sex. But Vikas was clear headed what he wanted to do and stood on his ground. Sweekar foundation was started by Vikas Kurne with the aim of raising awareness amongst youth on HIV/AIDS. His target audience were the villagers of Sanpadagaon, Shirane, Koparkhairane and other semi rural areas of Navi Mumbai. These villagers in the matter of months had gone from being poor rural folks to moneyed urban players after their farmer fathers sold ancestral land to CIDCO. More than 40 new bars had opened up. One night stands, open relationships (as seen on televisions and movies) and engaging in unsafe sexual activities had become a new trend. Very few cared about diseases like AIDS. Vikas Kurne admitted he himself once battled with these temptations and wanted to do something to create awareness of sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) like AIDS to these youths. Since then this young man, sets out every day with the aim to reduce the risk and create awareness about HIV/AIDS. However now, Sweekar foundation also works for youth education and employment along with spreading HIV/AIDS awareness.
