There isn't much new to report today. I finished the monthly report in English for the Ram Rahim Tekro. I added pictures, headings, and spruced up the language a bit to make it a formal report complete with a Table of Contents (thanks Sawan!).
They took a survey of 1,000 families in the Ram Rahim Tekro, but data entry has yet to be completed. The questions served as a basic background and needs assessment of the families in the area. I told them that I basically did my degree in this, so I would be more than happy to compile and analyze the data. I'm looking forward to getting to use some of my epidemiology knowledge that will help people in a very tangible way.
The kids in the neighborhood were awake until late yesterday since it was the last day of vrat (5 days of fasting) for the girls at which time they are supposed to do a jagran (stay up all night). The purpose of staying up is so the girls can pray, but that has long been forgotten and now it becomes an excuse for the kids to stay up late and hang out - even the boys join in!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
First Aid and Monthly Reporting
While I was waiting at Manav Sadhna this morning, a mother brought in her teenaged handicapped daughter. She had stepped on a nail a few days ago while going to the bathroom in the slums, which penetrated into her foot. She came by because she needed to have the dressing changed. Her mental state made it challenging since she was very fidgety and hard to calm. The supplies that were available at the ashram were one alcohol swab and lots of opened cotton balls and gauze, some of which had become discolored. There were a few wrapped up rolls of gauze that I used, along with the one alcohol swab to clean the wound and re-dress it. The wound was surprisingly clean, but the nail had gone in very deep.
I told the health coordinator that I was going to make a list of sterile supplies to be purchased for the first aid kid to help in similar situations. Something this minor makes me realize the hardships that families living in poverty must face over what you or I would consider to be a trivial matter. Without proper wound care this small injury could easily become infected; moreover, without sterile supplies, the dressing change would be futile.
I spent the afternoon at the Ram Rahim Tekro computer classroom. Each staff member has to complete a monthly report regarding their activities in the community. For the Ram Rahim Tekro community, there are reports from the teachers, the computer instructor, the sewing class instructors, and an overview of the progress in the community as a whole. The reports are usually written in Gujarati by the staff members, but then must be translated into English and complied into the final report. The report is kept to mark progress for Manav Sadhna and additionally to distribute to donors so they can stay up to date with what is going on at the organization. The computer teacher would dictate the reports to me in Gujarati and I had to type them into English. I definitely learned a few Gujarati words I never knew in the process! Moreover it was a great way for me to become familiar with the various activities that Manav Sadhna has going on in the community. For example, in the classes, they teach Gujarati, English and math, but in addition also teach the students about current festivals and their significance, values and lessons, and play games and tell stories with the kids to build a close knit community. The Ram Rahim Tekro opened the computer center last month in order to introduce the kids to computers and especially how to use paint to make various pictures. While I was working on the report, I was watching the kids work. Even though they were redrawing pictures from books in hand, their drawings were simply stunning. For the first few minutes I believed that the kids were copying and pasting pictures from the internet! It was truly touching to see these kids who were didn’t touch a computer until less than a month ago, and to watch their ability to draw so eloquently.
I told the health coordinator that I was going to make a list of sterile supplies to be purchased for the first aid kid to help in similar situations. Something this minor makes me realize the hardships that families living in poverty must face over what you or I would consider to be a trivial matter. Without proper wound care this small injury could easily become infected; moreover, without sterile supplies, the dressing change would be futile.
I spent the afternoon at the Ram Rahim Tekro computer classroom. Each staff member has to complete a monthly report regarding their activities in the community. For the Ram Rahim Tekro community, there are reports from the teachers, the computer instructor, the sewing class instructors, and an overview of the progress in the community as a whole. The reports are usually written in Gujarati by the staff members, but then must be translated into English and complied into the final report. The report is kept to mark progress for Manav Sadhna and additionally to distribute to donors so they can stay up to date with what is going on at the organization. The computer teacher would dictate the reports to me in Gujarati and I had to type them into English. I definitely learned a few Gujarati words I never knew in the process! Moreover it was a great way for me to become familiar with the various activities that Manav Sadhna has going on in the community. For example, in the classes, they teach Gujarati, English and math, but in addition also teach the students about current festivals and their significance, values and lessons, and play games and tell stories with the kids to build a close knit community. The Ram Rahim Tekro opened the computer center last month in order to introduce the kids to computers and especially how to use paint to make various pictures. While I was working on the report, I was watching the kids work. Even though they were redrawing pictures from books in hand, their drawings were simply stunning. For the first few minutes I believed that the kids were copying and pasting pictures from the internet! It was truly touching to see these kids who were didn’t touch a computer until less than a month ago, and to watch their ability to draw so eloquently.
We also took pictures of all of the kids at the classes there today to make identification cards for each student. The tekro is working on uniformity and creating a system. Many of the kids had never had their pictures taken, so most of them are standing in a military style attention pose, arms to their sides, stern look, and looking above the camera to the cameraman rather than at the lens. It was sad to see kids that are 8, 9, 10 years old and realize they may have never had their picture taken before, but at the same time endearing to see their excitement at getting to see the picture of themselves. I made a collage of the close-up shots of the kids to print and put up in the classroom to show the Ram Rahim Tekro kid’s community. It’s efforts such as these that you realize are so simple yet have such a lasting impact on the kids.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Ram Rahim no Tekro
Today I went to the other slums, the Ram Rahim no Tekro. It's quite a bit farther from the ashram than the other. This slum area is interesting because it has a mix of Hindu and Muslim residents. There is a temple and mosque built literally within one another in the center of the area.
I walked around today to get a feel for how things run. They run a computer center with classes for men and women. They learn how to type in Gujarati on the keyboard and how to make wedding cards on the computer - both are skills that can be used to get a job. Above the computer center they run sewing classes at a nominal rate. Women from the community come here to learn to sew blouses, skirts and whatever else with the sewing machines provided.
There is also another sewing class offered at someone's house in the community. These women learn how to sew by hand. They then are given work through Manav Sadhna's sister program, the Gramshree program, so they can put their learned skill to work and earn money.
Last, there are classes for kids. The kids go to school during the day and come to this area in the afternoon, separate times for boys and girls. They are put into two classes. They learn basic skills such as reading, writing, along with value based teaching. Today the girls were playing games and singing songs. During classes they also do things like arts and crafts and other recreational activities.
They are also going to be building a community center like the other one and have more activities going on. They will also be adding nutrition planning. My role will be to introduce health based education, starting with the importance of hygiene and moving up. Today I saw a kid scoop up water from the ground in a bowl and drink it - I obviously have lots to do!
The coordinator of the area who showed me around today was great. He himself used to go to the ashram as a kid and after finishing school chose to stick with Manav Sadhna and give back to kids like him. It was truly inspirational to hear his story and see the lasting impact this organization has on kids with this living example!
I walked around today to get a feel for how things run. They run a computer center with classes for men and women. They learn how to type in Gujarati on the keyboard and how to make wedding cards on the computer - both are skills that can be used to get a job. Above the computer center they run sewing classes at a nominal rate. Women from the community come here to learn to sew blouses, skirts and whatever else with the sewing machines provided.
There is also another sewing class offered at someone's house in the community. These women learn how to sew by hand. They then are given work through Manav Sadhna's sister program, the Gramshree program, so they can put their learned skill to work and earn money.
Last, there are classes for kids. The kids go to school during the day and come to this area in the afternoon, separate times for boys and girls. They are put into two classes. They learn basic skills such as reading, writing, along with value based teaching. Today the girls were playing games and singing songs. During classes they also do things like arts and crafts and other recreational activities.
They are also going to be building a community center like the other one and have more activities going on. They will also be adding nutrition planning. My role will be to introduce health based education, starting with the importance of hygiene and moving up. Today I saw a kid scoop up water from the ground in a bowl and drink it - I obviously have lots to do!
The coordinator of the area who showed me around today was great. He himself used to go to the ashram as a kid and after finishing school chose to stick with Manav Sadhna and give back to kids like him. It was truly inspirational to hear his story and see the lasting impact this organization has on kids with this living example!
Friday, July 23, 2010
First meeting with siblings infected with HIV
I went back to the ashram in the evening to meet Jagatbhai to go see the siblings with HIV they want me to mentor. It was bright and sunny when we left on the bike, but within 10 minutes it was pouring rain. He asked if I wanted to sit in a rickshaw the rest of the way, but I figured that I was already soaked, so I might as well enjoy the experience. Driving in the rain was scarier than usual bike driving in India, and I could barely see! But we made it to their house.
The kids live by Lal Durwaja, which is in the "city" area. It's a 10 foot by 10 foot or so square house. When we got there the girl was cooking dinner; the younger boy, was out playing. As soon as we got there the boy offered us tea. I told him I didn't drink any. Coffee then? No, I don't drink coffee either. Something cold - juice, soda? No, I'm freezing from being so wet. It amazed me to think that this 6 year old was being such an incredible host - I did not expect that from someone less than 3 feet tall!
The girl is keeping a fast, so as the rain let up everyone finished their tea and we went to go buy fasting food for her. They bought flour and soap for the house. It was very surreal to be asking a 10 year old girl what groceries were needed for the house.
These kids do not know of their HIV status. When their parents passed away, they started living in the ashram. The boy started getting spots on his skin. After trying a few different treatments, the doctor asked to track down the family history. That is when it was discovered their parents had HIV. They were taken out of the ashram, since they couldn't be allowed to stay there with other kids. They both were seen by doctors as they moved back home and lived on their own.
The girl is on medications, but the boy is not. No one has taken a real interest in helping these kids, and providing them with guidance. Moreover, they don't know about their status, making it difficult for them to know the importance of taking their medication on time and regularly. How do you tell a kid that when he or she bleeds, they can't touch anyone? Or that when it's raining they shouldn't go out and play with the other kids because if they get sick, it could turn into something much more serious than a cold?
As touching as it was to see these kids learning to live their lives on their own, it was difficult to understand the situation they're in and totally unaware of. They want to get them back into the government school for now, and then have us look into getting them into a hostel for kids with HIV. We want to find something that will give them the support they need so we're planning on visiting a few places before we decide.
The fact that the system isn't setup to catch and help kids like this is disheartening, but I feel more positive knowing that there are people and organizations such as Manav Sadhna who will go above and beyond to help people in such unimaginable situations go forward. I feel fortunate to be a part of such an effort and look forward to getting to know these kids and being a mentor and teacher to them.
The kids live by Lal Durwaja, which is in the "city" area. It's a 10 foot by 10 foot or so square house. When we got there the girl was cooking dinner; the younger boy, was out playing. As soon as we got there the boy offered us tea. I told him I didn't drink any. Coffee then? No, I don't drink coffee either. Something cold - juice, soda? No, I'm freezing from being so wet. It amazed me to think that this 6 year old was being such an incredible host - I did not expect that from someone less than 3 feet tall!
The girl is keeping a fast, so as the rain let up everyone finished their tea and we went to go buy fasting food for her. They bought flour and soap for the house. It was very surreal to be asking a 10 year old girl what groceries were needed for the house.
These kids do not know of their HIV status. When their parents passed away, they started living in the ashram. The boy started getting spots on his skin. After trying a few different treatments, the doctor asked to track down the family history. That is when it was discovered their parents had HIV. They were taken out of the ashram, since they couldn't be allowed to stay there with other kids. They both were seen by doctors as they moved back home and lived on their own.
The girl is on medications, but the boy is not. No one has taken a real interest in helping these kids, and providing them with guidance. Moreover, they don't know about their status, making it difficult for them to know the importance of taking their medication on time and regularly. How do you tell a kid that when he or she bleeds, they can't touch anyone? Or that when it's raining they shouldn't go out and play with the other kids because if they get sick, it could turn into something much more serious than a cold?
As touching as it was to see these kids learning to live their lives on their own, it was difficult to understand the situation they're in and totally unaware of. They want to get them back into the government school for now, and then have us look into getting them into a hostel for kids with HIV. We want to find something that will give them the support they need so we're planning on visiting a few places before we decide.
The fact that the system isn't setup to catch and help kids like this is disheartening, but I feel more positive knowing that there are people and organizations such as Manav Sadhna who will go above and beyond to help people in such unimaginable situations go forward. I feel fortunate to be a part of such an effort and look forward to getting to know these kids and being a mentor and teacher to them.
Leper Community and Gutka Girl
Friday mornings are volunteer meeting days, so we spent an hour this morning just updating each other on what we're doing and discussing any questions or issues anyone had. Then I visited the Leper Community which is about 45 minutes away by car with Ramanbhai who is the health coordinator along with two Masters of Social Work students who are doing a one month field experience at Manav Sadhna. The leper community is a 120 home colony of people affected by leprosy. These people live here with their families. The children and many of the spouses are unaffected. Most all of the lepers have parts of their fingers missing due to complications and lack of treatment. Thus, most all of the lepers work as beggars. They go to various villages and spend a few days there begging for money since they are unable to perform work with their hands and are often shunned away due to their disease. The families in this community are not originally from Gujarat, they are from the state of Maharastra. Manav Sadhna has built a community center in this community. They run a preschool in there and use the center for various functions. In addition they are looking to start tuition classes for students, since the government school these kids go to are not very good, and the kids don't learn very much. Manav Sadhna has also helped by advocating for the community and getting a gutter system put in, funding the building of a garden for the kids to use, providing garbage cans and education regarding the importance of using the trash. In addition, every month Manav Sadhna brings a health camp to the community. Last month they had a dental camp where 10 dentists volunteered to come out and do a dental exam on all of the residents. Any residents needing further care were followed up in the next few weeks, driven out of the community in a bus, treated at a clinic, and then returned. In August Manav Sadhna is going to organize an eye clinic, since many of the people in the community have complained of vision problems.
I went back to the ashram after we went to the leprosy community and found the girl I had talked to about chewing tobacco the other day along with her friends. They were doing garba for goro (fasting that young girls). They pulled me in with them and I danced and watched how innocently they were enjoying themselves without a care in the world - no one would have been able to guess they came from such difficult backgrounds. I tried to leave to go eat, but the girls wouldn't let me. Apparently they had come to the ashram looking for me yesterday and today and someone told them I would be back soon so they waited. Goodie, AKA the gutka (type of tobacco) girl, proudly told me she hadn't had any tobacco since I talked to her. The girls would not let me out of their sight. I realized quickly that they looked up to me - this became much more real when they told me they were going to talk to their parents to switch them to the ashram school so they could come be with me. All I had done was spend 10 minutes talking to these girls about the effects of tobacco and the importance of health. Yet those 10 minutes of attention were filled with more compassion than some of these girls had ever experienced. It really hit home the idea that sometimes the smallest acts have greater impacts on the lives of others than any of us can understand or imagine.
I went back to the ashram after we went to the leprosy community and found the girl I had talked to about chewing tobacco the other day along with her friends. They were doing garba for goro (fasting that young girls). They pulled me in with them and I danced and watched how innocently they were enjoying themselves without a care in the world - no one would have been able to guess they came from such difficult backgrounds. I tried to leave to go eat, but the girls wouldn't let me. Apparently they had come to the ashram looking for me yesterday and today and someone told them I would be back soon so they waited. Goodie, AKA the gutka (type of tobacco) girl, proudly told me she hadn't had any tobacco since I talked to her. The girls would not let me out of their sight. I realized quickly that they looked up to me - this became much more real when they told me they were going to talk to their parents to switch them to the ashram school so they could come be with me. All I had done was spend 10 minutes talking to these girls about the effects of tobacco and the importance of health. Yet those 10 minutes of attention were filled with more compassion than some of these girls had ever experienced. It really hit home the idea that sometimes the smallest acts have greater impacts on the lives of others than any of us can understand or imagine.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Introduction to Manav Sadhna
I heard about this organization through my Mom's friend Bhairavi Auntie and after reading about them online (www.manavsadhna.org) I decided to check it out as something to maybe do in addition to researching at the hospital. But after just a few days there, I have decided to forget about doing research at the hospital and focus all of my time at this organization, at least for now.
I have spent these first few days meeting people and understanding the structure of the organization and seeing what they do. I'm going to try to summarize what I've seen so far.
Manav Sadhna is run out of the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, which was originally built by Mahamta Gandhi. Gandhi lived in the ashram for many years as well while he was fighting for freedom. The organization was inspired by 3 people living in the US and based on Gandhi's principles. It is an NGO organization aimed at helping underprivileged kids and their families.
Part of the Gandhi Ashram serves as a refuge for kids. These are kids of the untouchable caste. Their parents are garbage collectors, street sweepers and the like. These people have been treated as outcasts by Indians for generations. This ashram is a way for these kids to get away from the lifestyle their parents lived and move in a different direction. There are currently 121 kids, 1st-7th graders that stay there. They all sleep in one big common room (separate for boys and girls). They do their own chores - laundry, cleaning. They go to school, and have teachers come to give them tuition classes as they're called, which is basically like tutoring. They get involved in skill development and are taught basic values. The hope is that the kids are equipped to appreciate education and live a better life than their parents. The kid's parents come once a week to visit, provide them clothes etc.
The large slum which is right across the Gandhi ashram is called the Tekro. This is where the poorest of the poor live. Manav Sadhna has built a community center right in the middle of the Tekro. Here they have tuition classes for the kids in the afternoon after school. Virtually none of these kid's parents went to school, so they do not know how to study or the value of education. Based on what grade they're in they're broken into different classrooms and they review things they learned in school. There is a fitness center for kids to come and exercise in. The kids then take part in arts and crafts, games, meditation, singing, and dancing activities. The community center provides these kids with a platform on which to develop under the guidance of Manav Sadhna. They host shows and programs for the kids to showcase what they've learned. The center also has a library for the kids to use. In addition, there is a computer lab where they run computer classes. This allows adults and women to come and learn basic computer skills to enable them to find jobs. They learn how to make greeting cards and wedding invitations electronically. Interestingly the center was made to be "green." Recycled bottles make up the walls along with various other recycled materials. Underneath the community center is a daycare for kids under 3 whose parents both work. Next to this community center, they are building a new center for women. This is supposed to be a safe haven for women to come to, work, learn skills, and build relationships with each other and in turn build a community.
Another program that Manav Sadhna runs is the Anganwadi program, which is a preschool program. They run 80some preschools in a 10 km stretch. There are three main goals of the preschool - values, nutrition, and health. The kids that come to the preschool are between 3-5 years old. They learn to greet anyone who walks into the room by saying "Namaste." The kids are taught general life lessons and values such as it's not okay to sleep while you eating in addition to learning colors, animals, vocabulary etc. These kids are also given nutrition, since many of these kids are malnourished. Through grants the kids are given milk, fruit and lunch made from fortified ingredients. Last, for the health aspect, these kids are weighed, their blood is checked, and they are taken to the doctor if they appear ill. This program also provides nutritious meals to pregnant and nursing women. In addition, this program aims to educate women and adolescent girls aged 11-17 about things such as education, family planning, and preventative health. Things such as breast cancer screening and contraception are things that the program has tried to drive home, but hasn't really taken off.
Manav Sadhna also have a "work-study" type of program for kids who have to work in order to help support their families. These are often kids who have dropped out of school and work on the streets with their parents. These kids come to the ashram and make goods to sell such as greeting cards, notebooks, and handbags. They are paid to make this and also make commission on what they sell. They also get enrichment through things such as meditation. The hope is to keep these kids off the street and inspire them to try to pursue education.
Manav Sadhna also helps the leper community that lives about an hour away from the ashram. This community has lepers living along with their families. Manav Sadhna supports this community with basic healthcare and support for the people.
I'm sure there are other things that Manav Sadhna are involved with that I have yet to discover, but this is what I've learned of in my first 4 days. There are a few things that they want me to get involved with, at least as of now:
-anganwadi program: help with the health awareness and prevention aspect, possibly by doing a needs assessment and then implementing changes to help increase the impact of this information on the women and children.
-leper community: examine recommendations made by previous assessments and implement necessary programs to support this community.
-new community center: help lead the initiative for the new community center being built in a different slum being modeled after the current one.
-health care: work with the health coordinator in running day clinics (HIV clinic, thalessima clinic, eye clinic etc.), informative door-to-door programs on malaria/tuberculosis, and taking people in to get medical attention when necessary.
In addition to these general goals, there is a personal project they want me to take on. There are 2 siblings, a 10/11 year old girl and 5/6 year old brother who are orphaned. Their parents have passed away years ago. Though these siblings have the help of an uncle, they live on their own. They run their house, cook, clean, and go to school. These kids both have HIV. I have yet to meet these kids, but I hear their determination, maturity and strength is inspiring. I am going to go meet them and build a relationship with them. I am to become their medical advocate of sorts and make sure they take their medications and understand the importance of not missing a dose. I am to talk to them about their health and notice any issues that they might not realize the importance of. Most of all, I am to be a mentor and friend - someone to give them hope and encourage them to continue to be positive and lead an amazing life.
I have also been made into the medical liaison of sorts. There was a 7 year old girl who came into the ashram the other day with her friends. One of the people at the center smelled tobacco and asked who was chewing. It was the 7 year old. He brought her and her friends to meet me, and told her that I was especially there to tell her what happens to people who chew tobacco. I was speechless for a minute. I knew how to talk to educated people, and adults about health and prevention, but I realized I had never had to talk to a child who basically cared for herself about medical complications that can arise from poor choices. After getting my bearings I asked her why she chewed. She shrugged her shoulders. I proceeded to tell her about mouth sores, cancer, and complications that can arise. I told her about how it would affect her looks, her teeth, her ability to eat. Then I asked her if chewing was worth all of that. She said no, and promised me she wouldn't chew again. I don't know if what I said actually had an impact on her or any of her friends who sat with us through our conversation, but when I saw her the next day, I asked her if she had chewed, and she said not since we talked. I have to keep reminding myself that all I can do is provide compassion, understanding, and the tools for people to make good choices. The decision then rests on them.
I have spent these first few days meeting people and understanding the structure of the organization and seeing what they do. I'm going to try to summarize what I've seen so far.
Manav Sadhna is run out of the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, which was originally built by Mahamta Gandhi. Gandhi lived in the ashram for many years as well while he was fighting for freedom. The organization was inspired by 3 people living in the US and based on Gandhi's principles. It is an NGO organization aimed at helping underprivileged kids and their families.
Part of the Gandhi Ashram serves as a refuge for kids. These are kids of the untouchable caste. Their parents are garbage collectors, street sweepers and the like. These people have been treated as outcasts by Indians for generations. This ashram is a way for these kids to get away from the lifestyle their parents lived and move in a different direction. There are currently 121 kids, 1st-7th graders that stay there. They all sleep in one big common room (separate for boys and girls). They do their own chores - laundry, cleaning. They go to school, and have teachers come to give them tuition classes as they're called, which is basically like tutoring. They get involved in skill development and are taught basic values. The hope is that the kids are equipped to appreciate education and live a better life than their parents. The kid's parents come once a week to visit, provide them clothes etc.
The large slum which is right across the Gandhi ashram is called the Tekro. This is where the poorest of the poor live. Manav Sadhna has built a community center right in the middle of the Tekro. Here they have tuition classes for the kids in the afternoon after school. Virtually none of these kid's parents went to school, so they do not know how to study or the value of education. Based on what grade they're in they're broken into different classrooms and they review things they learned in school. There is a fitness center for kids to come and exercise in. The kids then take part in arts and crafts, games, meditation, singing, and dancing activities. The community center provides these kids with a platform on which to develop under the guidance of Manav Sadhna. They host shows and programs for the kids to showcase what they've learned. The center also has a library for the kids to use. In addition, there is a computer lab where they run computer classes. This allows adults and women to come and learn basic computer skills to enable them to find jobs. They learn how to make greeting cards and wedding invitations electronically. Interestingly the center was made to be "green." Recycled bottles make up the walls along with various other recycled materials. Underneath the community center is a daycare for kids under 3 whose parents both work. Next to this community center, they are building a new center for women. This is supposed to be a safe haven for women to come to, work, learn skills, and build relationships with each other and in turn build a community.
Another program that Manav Sadhna runs is the Anganwadi program, which is a preschool program. They run 80some preschools in a 10 km stretch. There are three main goals of the preschool - values, nutrition, and health. The kids that come to the preschool are between 3-5 years old. They learn to greet anyone who walks into the room by saying "Namaste." The kids are taught general life lessons and values such as it's not okay to sleep while you eating in addition to learning colors, animals, vocabulary etc. These kids are also given nutrition, since many of these kids are malnourished. Through grants the kids are given milk, fruit and lunch made from fortified ingredients. Last, for the health aspect, these kids are weighed, their blood is checked, and they are taken to the doctor if they appear ill. This program also provides nutritious meals to pregnant and nursing women. In addition, this program aims to educate women and adolescent girls aged 11-17 about things such as education, family planning, and preventative health. Things such as breast cancer screening and contraception are things that the program has tried to drive home, but hasn't really taken off.
Manav Sadhna also have a "work-study" type of program for kids who have to work in order to help support their families. These are often kids who have dropped out of school and work on the streets with their parents. These kids come to the ashram and make goods to sell such as greeting cards, notebooks, and handbags. They are paid to make this and also make commission on what they sell. They also get enrichment through things such as meditation. The hope is to keep these kids off the street and inspire them to try to pursue education.
Manav Sadhna also helps the leper community that lives about an hour away from the ashram. This community has lepers living along with their families. Manav Sadhna supports this community with basic healthcare and support for the people.
I'm sure there are other things that Manav Sadhna are involved with that I have yet to discover, but this is what I've learned of in my first 4 days. There are a few things that they want me to get involved with, at least as of now:
-anganwadi program: help with the health awareness and prevention aspect, possibly by doing a needs assessment and then implementing changes to help increase the impact of this information on the women and children.
-leper community: examine recommendations made by previous assessments and implement necessary programs to support this community.
-new community center: help lead the initiative for the new community center being built in a different slum being modeled after the current one.
-health care: work with the health coordinator in running day clinics (HIV clinic, thalessima clinic, eye clinic etc.), informative door-to-door programs on malaria/tuberculosis, and taking people in to get medical attention when necessary.
In addition to these general goals, there is a personal project they want me to take on. There are 2 siblings, a 10/11 year old girl and 5/6 year old brother who are orphaned. Their parents have passed away years ago. Though these siblings have the help of an uncle, they live on their own. They run their house, cook, clean, and go to school. These kids both have HIV. I have yet to meet these kids, but I hear their determination, maturity and strength is inspiring. I am going to go meet them and build a relationship with them. I am to become their medical advocate of sorts and make sure they take their medications and understand the importance of not missing a dose. I am to talk to them about their health and notice any issues that they might not realize the importance of. Most of all, I am to be a mentor and friend - someone to give them hope and encourage them to continue to be positive and lead an amazing life.
I have also been made into the medical liaison of sorts. There was a 7 year old girl who came into the ashram the other day with her friends. One of the people at the center smelled tobacco and asked who was chewing. It was the 7 year old. He brought her and her friends to meet me, and told her that I was especially there to tell her what happens to people who chew tobacco. I was speechless for a minute. I knew how to talk to educated people, and adults about health and prevention, but I realized I had never had to talk to a child who basically cared for herself about medical complications that can arise from poor choices. After getting my bearings I asked her why she chewed. She shrugged her shoulders. I proceeded to tell her about mouth sores, cancer, and complications that can arise. I told her about how it would affect her looks, her teeth, her ability to eat. Then I asked her if chewing was worth all of that. She said no, and promised me she wouldn't chew again. I don't know if what I said actually had an impact on her or any of her friends who sat with us through our conversation, but when I saw her the next day, I asked her if she had chewed, and she said not since we talked. I have to keep reminding myself that all I can do is provide compassion, understanding, and the tools for people to make good choices. The decision then rests on them.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
First few days in India
Hey guys!
I made it here safely, and without any major incidence - the Air India flight was early!! I spent the first few days here, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday basically getting settled in, trying to adjust to the heat, and then going bored out of my mind! I did some reading and had some uninvited drop in visits from family, but other than that, it was pretty uneventful.
Interestingly, I spent some time with some of the women on the block. One woman has an 80-some year old father in law. He has diabetes, his blood sugar is always in the 300's, and he does not watch his diet. He started showing signs of an ulcer on his foot, which is a well known complication of diabetes. It wasn't until 3 doctors told him he would have to get hospitalized and then possibly amputate that he actually considered making any modifications to his diet. His foot is healing now that he has stopped eating sugar, but he plans on starting back on his usual diet as soon as his foot is healed. I tried to tell him that he should try to control his diabetes, and that this is a warning of the myriad of complications uncontrolled diabetes can lead to, but to no avail. He isn't the least bit bothered - he believes that the doctors will be able to give him medications to fix any complications that arise. I tried telling the same to his daughter-in-law who prepares all of his food, and got the same response. It was frustrating talking to an educated person and still having them disregard important medical advice.
This same woman then was talking about this girl in her extended family. She had just finished high school, went to sign up for classes at college and pay her fees. Things were going great, and she was really excited to start. She came home and wanted to watch TV. Her parents said she could not watch any. Later that night they found her dead in her room. She had slit her wrists and then proceeded to hang herself. The lady who was telling this story proceeded to turn to me and asked if kids in America get that upset when their parents discipline them. I very off hand said well obviously she had some other underlying issues that either her parents didn't recognize or that they aren't sharing. No one just gets upset and does that. I told them she likely had depression. They said someone would have noticed if she was depressed and that there is no way she was. They just think she just got mad and did that. I tried to explain that symptoms can often go unnoticed, especially if parents are not very involved in their child's life and don't communicate about more than grades and housework. But I quite literally got laughed at and they made some comment about westerners always trying to make things more complicated than they really are. I was speechless and realized that unlike what I'm used to back home, being educated as in going to school and being an intellectual person are very different.
On a personal note, I learned to cook shak (vegetables) and make roti (bread) in my time off...apparently it was edible too :)
I made it here safely, and without any major incidence - the Air India flight was early!! I spent the first few days here, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday basically getting settled in, trying to adjust to the heat, and then going bored out of my mind! I did some reading and had some uninvited drop in visits from family, but other than that, it was pretty uneventful.
Interestingly, I spent some time with some of the women on the block. One woman has an 80-some year old father in law. He has diabetes, his blood sugar is always in the 300's, and he does not watch his diet. He started showing signs of an ulcer on his foot, which is a well known complication of diabetes. It wasn't until 3 doctors told him he would have to get hospitalized and then possibly amputate that he actually considered making any modifications to his diet. His foot is healing now that he has stopped eating sugar, but he plans on starting back on his usual diet as soon as his foot is healed. I tried to tell him that he should try to control his diabetes, and that this is a warning of the myriad of complications uncontrolled diabetes can lead to, but to no avail. He isn't the least bit bothered - he believes that the doctors will be able to give him medications to fix any complications that arise. I tried telling the same to his daughter-in-law who prepares all of his food, and got the same response. It was frustrating talking to an educated person and still having them disregard important medical advice.
This same woman then was talking about this girl in her extended family. She had just finished high school, went to sign up for classes at college and pay her fees. Things were going great, and she was really excited to start. She came home and wanted to watch TV. Her parents said she could not watch any. Later that night they found her dead in her room. She had slit her wrists and then proceeded to hang herself. The lady who was telling this story proceeded to turn to me and asked if kids in America get that upset when their parents discipline them. I very off hand said well obviously she had some other underlying issues that either her parents didn't recognize or that they aren't sharing. No one just gets upset and does that. I told them she likely had depression. They said someone would have noticed if she was depressed and that there is no way she was. They just think she just got mad and did that. I tried to explain that symptoms can often go unnoticed, especially if parents are not very involved in their child's life and don't communicate about more than grades and housework. But I quite literally got laughed at and they made some comment about westerners always trying to make things more complicated than they really are. I was speechless and realized that unlike what I'm used to back home, being educated as in going to school and being an intellectual person are very different.
On a personal note, I learned to cook shak (vegetables) and make roti (bread) in my time off...apparently it was edible too :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)