So my Grandpa's cousin had a hip fracture and needed surgery. The way the system works here astounded me as to how different it is from the US! He had to come back the next day to get admitted, prelim tests done, then stay overnight with the surgery in the morning. Post-operation the site was not immobilized - no cast or anything else to keep him from moving around, so someone had to hold his leg down. No IV medications (pain meds, antibiotics). No precautions for DVT or a pulmonary embolism. You had to get him home without moving his leg in a car or van or whatever worked for you. And best yet, the clinic looked like a house turned into a makeshift clinic - complete with an OR down the hall from the doctor's house! And this was one of the nicer places that a middle class family could afford! It's crazy how many things that would cause a lawsuit in America are happening as standard practice here - and yet people are having positive outcomes! It's really really interesting.
In the evening we went shopping at Law Garden - where you can buy chunyachoris. We needed some for the Janmastmi celebration in 2 days. The base price started off at 3500 for the outfit we wanted - got it down to 1900...pretty proud of myself :) They definitely thought I was a local!!!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Monthly Report, Meditation, Saturday Special
I spent a few days this week again translating the Gujarati monthly report at Jamalpur into English. It was much easier this time around having had done it once before! One of the days I was there, there was lots of commotion outside. I asked what was going on - turns out there was a family that lived there - husband, wife, and 4 year old son. The husband was an alcoholic, and wouldn't quit. Somehow the daily struggles prompted the husband and wife to both jump into the river and commit suicide - together. The story just doesn't sit right - how would both of them want to commit suicide? Moreover - what promoted them to finally agree on something in their life? And their poor son. Working with Manav Sadhna makes everything look much greener - this was a reminder into the reality that these large issues are still very prevalent in the slums despite what we see firsthand in the kids we work with. But we can only focus on the people whose lives we are affecting and their futures, we can't get caught up in everyone.
Virenbhai, one of the founders of Manav Sadhna does an amazing thing every year. He spends 3 weeks out of the year without speaking (maun). He spends most of his day meditating and praying. People come visit and sit with him. He will sing prayers, and listen to other people talk and reflect. I decided to go since this was his last week - and he lives really close to me. It was such a peaceful environment! A bunch of kids from the street school had come and were singing bhajans. It was truly amazing to sit with them - realizing the different people that were all gathered in meditation and peace. And what he does is truly amazing - no phone, internet, no leaving the house - remarkable!
Saturday we had the Saturday Special - they showed a video about Krishna since Janmastmi is next week. I got made fun of because I was watching the video more intently than the kids - but I don't remember the story as well as I would like so I was taking advantage of the opportunity! But when I was leaving I realized that someone left with my slippers - and they weren't even mine, they were my Masi's! I figured it's no big deal - someone else will hopefully enjoy those shoes - but now I have to be extra careful about hiding my shoes when there are hundreds of kids around!!!
Virenbhai, one of the founders of Manav Sadhna does an amazing thing every year. He spends 3 weeks out of the year without speaking (maun). He spends most of his day meditating and praying. People come visit and sit with him. He will sing prayers, and listen to other people talk and reflect. I decided to go since this was his last week - and he lives really close to me. It was such a peaceful environment! A bunch of kids from the street school had come and were singing bhajans. It was truly amazing to sit with them - realizing the different people that were all gathered in meditation and peace. And what he does is truly amazing - no phone, internet, no leaving the house - remarkable!
Saturday we had the Saturday Special - they showed a video about Krishna since Janmastmi is next week. I got made fun of because I was watching the video more intently than the kids - but I don't remember the story as well as I would like so I was taking advantage of the opportunity! But when I was leaving I realized that someone left with my slippers - and they weren't even mine, they were my Masi's! I figured it's no big deal - someone else will hopefully enjoy those shoes - but now I have to be extra careful about hiding my shoes when there are hundreds of kids around!!!
Leper Community Eye Camp
The previous public health student who was working with Manav Sadhna did a thorough assessment of the Leper community. One of her major findings was that the community had a high need for eye care - many of the residents are blind, have cataracts, need glasses etc. So we decided to setup an eye camp in the community. In these types of camps a few doctors go out to the community and setup base. They bring their equipment and their expertise and do basic check-ups for free. Then any problems they find - people needing surgery, glasses etc they later bring to their facility to get care either for free or at a discounted rate.
So Ramanbhai and I picked a date and wrote a letter talking about Manav Sadhna and the Leper Community and how we wanted an eye camp, and just walked right into the Nagri Hospital and showed it to someone. That's all it took! The lady was actually very impressed that we were with the Gandhi Ashram and it seemed like that's all it took...she first wanted to find out if we could find some Gandhi related materials to bring for her! They changed the date that we set to Sunday, saying it would be easier on a day off for everyone to come out, much to our delight! We had to go back with a new form that had the correct date on it, and then it was a done deal! It was impressive the limited number of hoops we had to jump through - it is humbling to see hospitals that do this type of charity work without needing weeks of board meetings to discuss it's financial implications and feasibility. I'm really excited to see this first-hand - the camp is September 5th!
So Ramanbhai and I picked a date and wrote a letter talking about Manav Sadhna and the Leper Community and how we wanted an eye camp, and just walked right into the Nagri Hospital and showed it to someone. That's all it took! The lady was actually very impressed that we were with the Gandhi Ashram and it seemed like that's all it took...she first wanted to find out if we could find some Gandhi related materials to bring for her! They changed the date that we set to Sunday, saying it would be easier on a day off for everyone to come out, much to our delight! We had to go back with a new form that had the correct date on it, and then it was a done deal! It was impressive the limited number of hoops we had to jump through - it is humbling to see hospitals that do this type of charity work without needing weeks of board meetings to discuss it's financial implications and feasibility. I'm really excited to see this first-hand - the camp is September 5th!
Dustbin distribution at Leper, Naroda Ashram, Sughad
On Wednesday Ramanbhai and I went to the Leper Community to give away the dustbins that had been made. The dustbins are these green colored tin cans that are have painted on them "kachro mane aapo" or "give me trash." This campaign is a way to get people to stop throwing trash everywhere and increase cleanliness. These trashcans are readily visible in the Ramapir Tekro. The Leper Community is actually a very clean community - these people are good about keeping it clean! Every family had to pay 5 rupees for their trashcan. The purpose of the payment was so that the people took care of the trashcan. If they would have been given out for free, no one would have really used it properly and cared for it. This way, it was an investment at token cost. I was truly shocked that no one complained about the cost of the bins! They were, however, very concerned with the 4 tiny holes in the bottom. These were designed to one drain water out of the cans from rain (since their cans will often be exposed to the outdoors) and also to keep people from using the cans as storage! We had about 50 families come and get their cans - and now the rest will be stored at the community center for the remaining families to come pay for and get at a later date. All in all, a successful distribution.
On our way back we stopped by the Naroda ashramshala to take a took, meet the staff with Ramanbhai, and see if any of the kids have any medical issues needing attention. Quick easy visit, with no concerns!
While talking they realized that I had never visited Sughad, which is where the Environmental Sanitation Institute is housed, so they decided that is not acceptable and took me for a visit. This place was amazing! The setup was amazing - the facilities all state of the art, and the concept mind blowing. The organization works with Manav Sadhna, but is it's own entity that was formed prevent open defecation, prevent the need for handling of human waste by hand, and increasing the sanitation standards of the nation. At the site they have on display over 10 different types of toilets that are aimed at different types of environments to meet various needs. Their website is www.esi.org.in. It's very interesting - who would have known there are that many different types of toilets! This organization does lots of public health stuff - hopefully something I can get involved with during my time here!
On our way back we stopped by the Naroda ashramshala to take a took, meet the staff with Ramanbhai, and see if any of the kids have any medical issues needing attention. Quick easy visit, with no concerns!
While talking they realized that I had never visited Sughad, which is where the Environmental Sanitation Institute is housed, so they decided that is not acceptable and took me for a visit. This place was amazing! The setup was amazing - the facilities all state of the art, and the concept mind blowing. The organization works with Manav Sadhna, but is it's own entity that was formed prevent open defecation, prevent the need for handling of human waste by hand, and increasing the sanitation standards of the nation. At the site they have on display over 10 different types of toilets that are aimed at different types of environments to meet various needs. Their website is www.esi.org.in. It's very interesting - who would have known there are that many different types of toilets! This organization does lots of public health stuff - hopefully something I can get involved with during my time here!
Career counseling, Raksha Bandan, sitar show/astronomy
For those of you who don't know, Raksha Bandan is an Indian festival celebrating the bond between brother and sister. Raksha means protect and bandan means promise or bond. It didn't start out like that, however. In history, women would tie these bands on their husband's wrists as a way to protect them out in the war. Over time, however, it has evolved into something between brothers and sisters. Specifically, sisters tie a band (simple bracelet made out of string and beads - some simple some highly decorated and fancy). In return the brother gives the sister a gift (money, clothes etc). In theory the brother also promises to protect the sister, though sometimes it feels some of the purpose of festivals is forgotten ;)
On Monday we celebrated Raksha Bandan at the Ram aur Rahim Tekro with the kids since the kids all had a holiday on Tuesday, actual Raksha bandan. While I was sitting in class waiting to start the celebration, the street school teacher had me come in and talk to the students. It was a very casual conversation. He asked me to tell the kids why education was important, seeing as many of these kids had discontinued their schooling at some point or worked while in school, making them less likely to finish. I started out by asking them what they wanted to do with their lives. They all had various answers - teacher, doctor, engineer. I used that as a starting point - okay, you have your goal, now how do you think you can go about getting there? Obviously the answer is education, but these kids need more motivation than that. I told them how what you do now will pay off later. But more importantly, I asked them why they wanted to learn, why it was important to them. I told them that each and every student needs to ask themselves why education is important to them, and why they go to school everyday. We talked about how going because Mom or Dad says I have to is not going to make it for the long haul - that everyone needs to go for themselves, and know why they want to go, not need to go. And that if each student goes for themselves, only then will you be able to stay in school and get where you want to in life. The teacher and I spoke afterwards and he was asking me what I think would be an effective way to move forward to continue to drill home the importance of education. I told him the kids need a clearer view of their goals - many of them don't know what an engineer does more than what's on TV, and even if they do, many don't know exactly what is involved in getting there - high school, college education etc. So we decided to start out with a basic career counseling crash course - just a way to show the kids what options they have and how to get there, to help them better understand the steps required to reach their goals. I myself don't know the ins and outs of what is required in India, so this will be a good learning experience for me as well! The kids also asked me what America is like, so I talked to them a bit about how India is progressing just like America is, and then asked who all wanted to go to America one day. When EVERY hand was raised, I tried to tell them why America is different - how education is a given, and how women are equal to men in their careers etc. It was a very light-hearted conversation, but I could tell a few kids were hanging on to every word. It probably helped the girls in the class to hear from another girl, but also just being from "America" obviously carried weight. I told the kids that I took a year out of my life to learn from them, and I hope they can do the same from me.
All of the kids were brought together at the mandir. The teachers told the kids about the history of the festival and its significance. The girls had already made rakhdis in art class the previous week so the girls were then put into lines facing one boy from class. They did a tika (chanlo) on each boy's forehead, tied them the rakhdi and fed them panda (Indian sweet). In return the boys all gave the girl a chocolate. It was all very simple yet meaningful. What overwhelmed me the most after this was done and the kids were set off to go home, 7 different kids, mostly all girls, came up to me and tied a rakdhi to me! They understood that it wasn't just something between brothers and sisters and felt some sort of bond with me, even though I didn't even remember most of their names!
That evening there was a sitar show at the ashramshala (hostel for 120 some kids at the Gandhi Ashram). It was hot and there were mosquitoes, but the kids watched the tabla and sitar show whose time was donated to the kids. Then an astronomer came to show the kids the moon in his telescope. This guy has an interesting story - he didn't pass 12th grade, but has a crazy fascination with astronomy, and knows a TON about it. The clouds were out so we couldn't see the moon at times, so one of the teachers had the kids pray (more as a way to quite them down) for the moon, but it worked! It was amazing to see these kids marvel at the telescope just as much as the moon - we take for granted going to the planetarium ever since we were 3 and even groan when our parents tell us we should go to the museum!
Actual Raksha Bandan day was pretty relaxed - family was
in and out all day. One thing for sure is in India festivals really are a time for families to get together, and days off are fully taken advantage of. Since my Dada's cousin and wife (also Ba and Dada) are staying with us, all of their 4 kids and their families came to our house to celebrate. With a house full of rowdy kids I decided to sit them down to play the jenga game I picked up at Reliance more because I was missing home than my love for the game. But it turned out to be the perfect game to keep the kids busy and worked for all ages!
On Monday we celebrated Raksha Bandan at the Ram aur Rahim Tekro with the kids since the kids all had a holiday on Tuesday, actual Raksha bandan. While I was sitting in class waiting to start the celebration, the street school teacher had me come in and talk to the students. It was a very casual conversation. He asked me to tell the kids why education was important, seeing as many of these kids had discontinued their schooling at some point or worked while in school, making them less likely to finish. I started out by asking them what they wanted to do with their lives. They all had various answers - teacher, doctor, engineer. I used that as a starting point - okay, you have your goal, now how do you think you can go about getting there? Obviously the answer is education, but these kids need more motivation than that. I told them how what you do now will pay off later. But more importantly, I asked them why they wanted to learn, why it was important to them. I told them that each and every student needs to ask themselves why education is important to them, and why they go to school everyday. We talked about how going because Mom or Dad says I have to is not going to make it for the long haul - that everyone needs to go for themselves, and know why they want to go, not need to go. And that if each student goes for themselves, only then will you be able to stay in school and get where you want to in life. The teacher and I spoke afterwards and he was asking me what I think would be an effective way to move forward to continue to drill home the importance of education. I told him the kids need a clearer view of their goals - many of them don't know what an engineer does more than what's on TV, and even if they do, many don't know exactly what is involved in getting there - high school, college education etc. So we decided to start out with a basic career counseling crash course - just a way to show the kids what options they have and how to get there, to help them better understand the steps required to reach their goals. I myself don't know the ins and outs of what is required in India, so this will be a good learning experience for me as well! The kids also asked me what America is like, so I talked to them a bit about how India is progressing just like America is, and then asked who all wanted to go to America one day. When EVERY hand was raised, I tried to tell them why America is different - how education is a given, and how women are equal to men in their careers etc. It was a very light-hearted conversation, but I could tell a few kids were hanging on to every word. It probably helped the girls in the class to hear from another girl, but also just being from "America" obviously carried weight. I told the kids that I took a year out of my life to learn from them, and I hope they can do the same from me.
All of the kids were brought together at the mandir. The teachers told the kids about the history of the festival and its significance. The girls had already made rakhdis in art class the previous week so the girls were then put into lines facing one boy from class. They did a tika (chanlo) on each boy's forehead, tied them the rakhdi and fed them panda (Indian sweet). In return the boys all gave the girl a chocolate. It was all very simple yet meaningful. What overwhelmed me the most after this was done and the kids were set off to go home, 7 different kids, mostly all girls, came up to me and tied a rakdhi to me! They understood that it wasn't just something between brothers and sisters and felt some sort of bond with me, even though I didn't even remember most of their names!
That evening there was a sitar show at the ashramshala (hostel for 120 some kids at the Gandhi Ashram). It was hot and there were mosquitoes, but the kids watched the tabla and sitar show whose time was donated to the kids. Then an astronomer came to show the kids the moon in his telescope. This guy has an interesting story - he didn't pass 12th grade, but has a crazy fascination with astronomy, and knows a TON about it. The clouds were out so we couldn't see the moon at times, so one of the teachers had the kids pray (more as a way to quite them down) for the moon, but it worked! It was amazing to see these kids marvel at the telescope just as much as the moon - we take for granted going to the planetarium ever since we were 3 and even groan when our parents tell us we should go to the museum!
Actual Raksha Bandan day was pretty relaxed - family was
in and out all day. One thing for sure is in India festivals really are a time for families to get together, and days off are fully taken advantage of. Since my Dada's cousin and wife (also Ba and Dada) are staying with us, all of their 4 kids and their families came to our house to celebrate. With a house full of rowdy kids I decided to sit them down to play the jenga game I picked up at Reliance more because I was missing home than my love for the game. But it turned out to be the perfect game to keep the kids busy and worked for all ages!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Pavagadh Outing
Sorry it's been awhile since I've blogged - been keeping really busy! I'm going to break everything up into a few different posts to keep things organized - more for myself!
We went to Pavagadh (holy place near Varodara) to celebrate one of the Manav Sadhna's staff member's birthday. Saturday night we met at the ashram around 11pm and decorated the bus for him. Then we went to his house, surprised him, and headed on our way around 1am after doing prayer, cutting a cake...We reached Pavagadh at 5am, got into the hotel, and then had a half hour to get ready before we climbed. That was code for cat nap time! We started to climb around 6am. It took about 2 hours to climb to the top of the hill. This is supposedly the place where Maha Kali's eyes rest - at the top of the mountain! It was fairly dirty climbing and there was lots of fog so we couldn't take in the view on the way up. It was a good workout, but was tiring! I was very impressed by the parents who carried their kids up and the people who walked up barefoot, usually because people feel that walking barefoot shows extra dedication.
On the way back down we were stopped by hijdas, which apparently are eunuchs (castrated men), though I'm not totally sure that is correct. They were asking everyone that passed to give them money as they often do basically anywhere they go. Here they used a shawl and their bodies as a barrier to keep people from passing without paying. I managed to slip through by slipping in between, but then realized that maybe the guy with me would not have been able to do the same. As I started to search for him the crowd behind me I heard an argument between one of the hijdas and a guy - of course our volunteer coordinator. Apparently they told him to give some money, he said no, and they then started pestering him, not letting him pass, first telling him God will be grateful to him if he does, and then progressing to his mother will suffer if he doesn't etc. etc. His fight with them was that they should ask, but if someone says no they should let that person go - that they should accept what people give willingly, not force their views onto others. This ended up becoming a heated argument - he threatened to call the police, then he was cornered and forced to sit on the side, and then I think I missed something, because all of a sudden the hijda started taking his (?) sari off and unbuttoning the blouse...another hijda came and stopped him thankfully, because I'm not totally sure what/why that happened, and what the purpose was, let alone how it would have ended. Once we were allowed to continue on, many people came up to our coordinator and told him that they totally agreed with him, what they were doing was wrong, someone should stand up...It was refreshing to see someone take the time to stick up for what they believe in, when it truly was more work to do that than just fork over 2 rupees like everyone else. Following Gandhi's principle of be the change you wish to see in the world. We did tell the officer at the entrance about what was happening - at first they didn't believe him, but once I also vouched for what happened they said they are not breaking any laws and they can't do anything about that (convenient, since they can usually find a law for everything!).
After that we got some much needed rest, and then everyone worked together to make lunch and decorate one of the hotel rooms for the birthday prayer/gathering. It's always great to see the staff come together and dig in to whatever work was needed to be done, with no one complaining about the heat, how tired they are, or having to be told!
On our way back we stopped by the Santra Mandir in Nadiad, which is where my grandma went to school. They have kids from surrounding villages come stay there for school and they have a hostel as well. They also do lots of charity work - they feed around 5,000 people everyday. They also have a hospital where they offer free appointments and surgery (including travel fare!), focusing on eye care, but doing everything. Simply amazing what these small organizations are equipped to do!
It was lots of fun getting out for a day, though it was totally exhausting! But it was this weekend that it finally hit that I am really here, in India, and not going back anytime soon. Seeing as how much fun this weekend was, it wasn't as tough to accept as it otherwise might have been!
We went to Pavagadh (holy place near Varodara) to celebrate one of the Manav Sadhna's staff member's birthday. Saturday night we met at the ashram around 11pm and decorated the bus for him. Then we went to his house, surprised him, and headed on our way around 1am after doing prayer, cutting a cake...We reached Pavagadh at 5am, got into the hotel, and then had a half hour to get ready before we climbed. That was code for cat nap time! We started to climb around 6am. It took about 2 hours to climb to the top of the hill. This is supposedly the place where Maha Kali's eyes rest - at the top of the mountain! It was fairly dirty climbing and there was lots of fog so we couldn't take in the view on the way up. It was a good workout, but was tiring! I was very impressed by the parents who carried their kids up and the people who walked up barefoot, usually because people feel that walking barefoot shows extra dedication.
On the way back down we were stopped by hijdas, which apparently are eunuchs (castrated men), though I'm not totally sure that is correct. They were asking everyone that passed to give them money as they often do basically anywhere they go. Here they used a shawl and their bodies as a barrier to keep people from passing without paying. I managed to slip through by slipping in between, but then realized that maybe the guy with me would not have been able to do the same. As I started to search for him the crowd behind me I heard an argument between one of the hijdas and a guy - of course our volunteer coordinator. Apparently they told him to give some money, he said no, and they then started pestering him, not letting him pass, first telling him God will be grateful to him if he does, and then progressing to his mother will suffer if he doesn't etc. etc. His fight with them was that they should ask, but if someone says no they should let that person go - that they should accept what people give willingly, not force their views onto others. This ended up becoming a heated argument - he threatened to call the police, then he was cornered and forced to sit on the side, and then I think I missed something, because all of a sudden the hijda started taking his (?) sari off and unbuttoning the blouse...another hijda came and stopped him thankfully, because I'm not totally sure what/why that happened, and what the purpose was, let alone how it would have ended. Once we were allowed to continue on, many people came up to our coordinator and told him that they totally agreed with him, what they were doing was wrong, someone should stand up...It was refreshing to see someone take the time to stick up for what they believe in, when it truly was more work to do that than just fork over 2 rupees like everyone else. Following Gandhi's principle of be the change you wish to see in the world. We did tell the officer at the entrance about what was happening - at first they didn't believe him, but once I also vouched for what happened they said they are not breaking any laws and they can't do anything about that (convenient, since they can usually find a law for everything!).
After that we got some much needed rest, and then everyone worked together to make lunch and decorate one of the hotel rooms for the birthday prayer/gathering. It's always great to see the staff come together and dig in to whatever work was needed to be done, with no one complaining about the heat, how tired they are, or having to be told!
On our way back we stopped by the Santra Mandir in Nadiad, which is where my grandma went to school. They have kids from surrounding villages come stay there for school and they have a hostel as well. They also do lots of charity work - they feed around 5,000 people everyday. They also have a hospital where they offer free appointments and surgery (including travel fare!), focusing on eye care, but doing everything. Simply amazing what these small organizations are equipped to do!
It was lots of fun getting out for a day, though it was totally exhausting! But it was this weekend that it finally hit that I am really here, in India, and not going back anytime soon. Seeing as how much fun this weekend was, it wasn't as tough to accept as it otherwise might have been!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Leper Community
We went to visit the Leper Community again yesterday. Our main purpose was to drop off the remaining garbage bins to the community - one for each family. They will be painted and on them written "kachro mune aapo" or "give me trash". Then each family will have to pay 5 rupees as a token to receive their garbage bin...the purpose of this being to make them see the bin as an investment and actually care for it's purpose and do with it what is intended. Otherwise we just checked up on how things are going - they still have to finish the surveys of the families. We will go back next week to distribute the garbage cans after each family fills out a form with their information for us to keep track of who all has a garbage can and for them to understand its purpose. I think our presence there every few weeks helps make sure they know someone is keeping track of things there and holding them accountable!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan came to the Gandhi Ashram to shoot an advertisement to promote tourism in Gujarat. There was a huge crowd outside the gates and you needed a pass to get in - people were yelling and screaming and even climbing on top of the gates and roofs in an attempt to get in and see him!
I was sitting inside waiting to give milk to the earn-n-learn kids when the guy I was working with wanted to go outside and check out Bachchan. I said no, then he insisted, so I walked out to the patio and asked if you could really see anything, because I was too lazy to get my shoes on to go out there just to see nothing! Then Dave told me to suck it up and come on - and that we could talk to the ashram kids about the spriulina in the mean time since they were out there. So then I went out. The producer came up to me and a few girls and asked if we had a problem in being in the ad - I wasn't too interested in being in it, but they insisted, and I figured it would take a few minutes. Well a few minutes became 3 hours. While it was an interesting experience to be on a set, in the sweltering heat and in the chaos of the impromptu nature of the ad, it wasn't as fun as I'm sure some sets are! We did some walking around in the background - nothing spectacular. Amitabh Bachchan has the same presence and look as he does on screen.
I talked to him to get his autograph for one of the guys that works at Manav Sadhna and prays to him in place of God! I asked Amitabh Bachchan to write an autograph out to this guy with his name on it. Overall, an interesting experience - definitely something to experience once in your lifetime - sets I mean and how painstakingly long filming can be!
http://picasaweb.google.com/108916053679565444730/AmitabhBachchanAugust162010#
I was sitting inside waiting to give milk to the earn-n-learn kids when the guy I was working with wanted to go outside and check out Bachchan. I said no, then he insisted, so I walked out to the patio and asked if you could really see anything, because I was too lazy to get my shoes on to go out there just to see nothing! Then Dave told me to suck it up and come on - and that we could talk to the ashram kids about the spriulina in the mean time since they were out there. So then I went out. The producer came up to me and a few girls and asked if we had a problem in being in the ad - I wasn't too interested in being in it, but they insisted, and I figured it would take a few minutes. Well a few minutes became 3 hours. While it was an interesting experience to be on a set, in the sweltering heat and in the chaos of the impromptu nature of the ad, it wasn't as fun as I'm sure some sets are! We did some walking around in the background - nothing spectacular. Amitabh Bachchan has the same presence and look as he does on screen.
I talked to him to get his autograph for one of the guys that works at Manav Sadhna and prays to him in place of God! I asked Amitabh Bachchan to write an autograph out to this guy with his name on it. Overall, an interesting experience - definitely something to experience once in your lifetime - sets I mean and how painstakingly long filming can be!
http://picasaweb.google.com/
Indepedence Day Celebrations!
India's Independence Day was this past Sunday, August 15th. The Anganwadi kids celebrated on Saturday the 14th at the community center. Their program had singing, dancing, and games.
The older kids celebrated on Sunday and their program had a flag ceremony, handful of speeches, songs, and dances.
Both programs were jam packed. The kids came dressed in their finest outfits truly had fun, as did I! Saturday afternoon I also went to the Saturday Special, which is at the ashram. Every Saturday from 4p-6p they have some sort of activity setup for the kids. This Saturday they did a quiz show on Indian history - and as you can all imagine, I learned a lot!
These celebrations and festivals are what bring the community together. It was really special to be a part of these celebrations with these kids making them enjoy and have fun just like any other kid - I had more fun than I do at such functions at home! And the kids were surprisingly well behaved and systematic - more than I can say for kids there!
The older kids celebrated on Sunday and their program had a flag ceremony, handful of speeches, songs, and dances.
Both programs were jam packed. The kids came dressed in their finest outfits truly had fun, as did I! Saturday afternoon I also went to the Saturday Special, which is at the ashram. Every Saturday from 4p-6p they have some sort of activity setup for the kids. This Saturday they did a quiz show on Indian history - and as you can all imagine, I learned a lot!
These celebrations and festivals are what bring the community together. It was really special to be a part of these celebrations with these kids making them enjoy and have fun just like any other kid - I had more fun than I do at such functions at home! And the kids were surprisingly well behaved and systematic - more than I can say for kids there!
Spriulina update
Hi guys,
I have not had time to blog in the last few days, but I'll try to separate my entries by project to make things easier, mainly for me!
On Friday Dave, the guy running the Spirulina project, and I went down to Naroda to visit the kids at the ashram there. This ashram was started in Gandhiji's time. After independence, these people went to Gandhi and said we may have our freedom, but we are still poor. So he said, well then get educated. We met with the kids there briefly mainly to see how spriulina was working and to find out which kids were having trouble with it in order to get capsules for them. I had the headmaster (or some title like that!) gather all the 8-10 kids that do not drink the spirulina milk and round them up. Spirulina has a strong smell, and is green, which is why lots of kids find it unappetizing. Most are fine if they just gulp it up. I talked to the few kids that won't drink and asked them if they'll swallow the 4 capsules instead, which they were very enthusiastic to do since they see their friends feeling better taking it. The teachers said they have noticed fewer kids being sick (fever etc) in the rainy season compared to normal and the kids seem healthier. So it looks like things are on track there.
Today we started giving Spriulina to the Earn-n-Learn kids - the ones that work on the streets and thus are brought in to make cards and decorations at the ashram to keep them off the street and give them values. We made a big pot of milk and put the spriulina in there - the drink looked like moss! Then we called one of the kids from the ashram over who has been drinking it for the last year on and off and asked him to tell the kids how he feels after taking it. He is the cutest little kid and told everyone how he gets sick less often and feels more energy after starting it. We used that to convince the kids to just gulp it up and that it's worth it! Only a few threw a fit about it, and we're going to try to put sugar in the milk tomorrow, so hopefully that will help. But overall, a success at getting kids on the path to get healthier!!
I have not had time to blog in the last few days, but I'll try to separate my entries by project to make things easier, mainly for me!
On Friday Dave, the guy running the Spirulina project, and I went down to Naroda to visit the kids at the ashram there. This ashram was started in Gandhiji's time. After independence, these people went to Gandhi and said we may have our freedom, but we are still poor. So he said, well then get educated. We met with the kids there briefly mainly to see how spriulina was working and to find out which kids were having trouble with it in order to get capsules for them. I had the headmaster (or some title like that!) gather all the 8-10 kids that do not drink the spirulina milk and round them up. Spirulina has a strong smell, and is green, which is why lots of kids find it unappetizing. Most are fine if they just gulp it up. I talked to the few kids that won't drink and asked them if they'll swallow the 4 capsules instead, which they were very enthusiastic to do since they see their friends feeling better taking it. The teachers said they have noticed fewer kids being sick (fever etc) in the rainy season compared to normal and the kids seem healthier. So it looks like things are on track there.
Today we started giving Spriulina to the Earn-n-Learn kids - the ones that work on the streets and thus are brought in to make cards and decorations at the ashram to keep them off the street and give them values. We made a big pot of milk and put the spriulina in there - the drink looked like moss! Then we called one of the kids from the ashram over who has been drinking it for the last year on and off and asked him to tell the kids how he feels after taking it. He is the cutest little kid and told everyone how he gets sick less often and feels more energy after starting it. We used that to convince the kids to just gulp it up and that it's worth it! Only a few threw a fit about it, and we're going to try to put sugar in the milk tomorrow, so hopefully that will help. But overall, a success at getting kids on the path to get healthier!!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Leper Community
I went to the Leper Community with Ramanbhai. It was actually a very productive trip down, even though we were only there for an hour or so. The girl who runs the tuition classes is a 12th grader, but she is a very hard worker and really knows the community well. We walked around the community and basically just got an update on how things are going. Water is dripping into the community center, which has become a place people rely on going to when their own houses have water coming into them. Water pools near the houses and even floods the houses up past the beds, obviously posing a huge convenience and health concern. We made the appropriate calls to get that fixed so that they can at least use the community center as a shelter when it rains.
We also talked about the sewing class they have for the women in the area and getting a better teacher for the one they have, since apparently the teacher that is currently working with them is not very good!
Last, the girl who runs the classes has been given the responsibility of doing a detailed survey of everyone living there. I helped her write down what all she needs to ask. We will get information on each member of the family, their occupation, education level, leprosy status, any and all past medical history and health conditions, and need for additional care. Our goal is to have the houses (140 or so) surveyed by next week when we go back in order to have a starting point for what the community needs. We want to follow up with people that have health conditions that require attention, start a nutrition supplementation program for those living on their own unable to make good healthy meals for themselves, and then assess and provide other needs such as wheelchairs etc. I'm really excited to get this part done and see where the community is at so we can move forward and address their specific needs.
We are having an eye camp there in early September - lots of people there have vision problems. We have to go in the next few days to fill out a request and get it set up. The people in the Leper Community are only available the first 10 days of every month, because after that many of them go to various cities to beg.
We spent some time with the kids in the anganwadi (preschool) - they are adorable!
We also talked about the sewing class they have for the women in the area and getting a better teacher for the one they have, since apparently the teacher that is currently working with them is not very good!
Last, the girl who runs the classes has been given the responsibility of doing a detailed survey of everyone living there. I helped her write down what all she needs to ask. We will get information on each member of the family, their occupation, education level, leprosy status, any and all past medical history and health conditions, and need for additional care. Our goal is to have the houses (140 or so) surveyed by next week when we go back in order to have a starting point for what the community needs. We want to follow up with people that have health conditions that require attention, start a nutrition supplementation program for those living on their own unable to make good healthy meals for themselves, and then assess and provide other needs such as wheelchairs etc. I'm really excited to get this part done and see where the community is at so we can move forward and address their specific needs.
We are having an eye camp there in early September - lots of people there have vision problems. We have to go in the next few days to fill out a request and get it set up. The people in the Leper Community are only available the first 10 days of every month, because after that many of them go to various cities to beg.
We spent some time with the kids in the anganwadi (preschool) - they are adorable!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Amitabh Bachchan, Public Health Presentations, Shravan Mahino, Seva Cafe
So when that girl asked me if I could introduce her to Amitabh Bachchan, she was on to something! Apparently he's coming to the Gandhi Ashram to shoot some movie at the end of this month! Dad, you better hurry up and come to India ;)
Today I started working on the first round of public health education presentations I'm going to be giving. I decided to try making just powerpoints of pictures and then just talking through things. Barotbhai said that you can get ready made posters that have to do with various topics, so I was thinking of then putting those up in the classrooms after we present. Right now I'm doing 3 different presentations - hand washing, water, and hygiene. Hand washing is pretty straight forward - I found a video to show and then various pictures. We thought about also bringing some soap and water and making the kids practice, which I think will be lots of fun! The big take home messages there will be - use soap, and it's very important to wash before you eat and after you use the bathroom. The water based presentation is fairly basic, but important in the rainy season. Since lots of kids get sick during the rain, we're going to do a really basic talk on - playing in the rain (ill effects), leaking houses, and mosquitoes. The hygiene one will be more in depth and interesting. It's going to cover everything from cutting your nails, washing your hair, showering, brushing your teeth etc. I'm going to find some pictures of do's and don'ts to present. The pictures are more to keep their attention. If anyone has any ideas on topics or messages to pass on, please let me know! Things like it's important to tell kids to use a nail cutter and not a razor blade to cut their nails (apparently a common issue) is all things that I would never think of having to teach about! This is already a great learning experience for me, and I'm sure there is more to be learned! I'm hoping to talk to the women in the sewing classes and stuff too and not only work with the kids.
Today was the first day of Shravan Mahino. It's a Hindu festival where people fast for an entire month. Most eat one meal and then only fruits and farari (approved) items such as things made of vegetables (potato chips), tea, and lots of various fried dishes, that are made out of non-flour based things. I decided to try to fast the entire month. Let's see if I can do it! Working with these people and kids reminds me that there are people in this world who may never experience what it's like to feel full or to never want to see food again (I know we've all felt that way before). If anything this will be a glimpse into that world - just some small insight into what their lives are like everyday.
In the evening we went to the seva cafe to celebrate the birthday of one of the staff members, Anjali. She's originally from Texas, came to work for awhile, and has ended up staying back ever since - and that was 7 years ago! The Seva Cafe to connected to Manav Sadhna and Gramashree (the sister organization especially for women). It runs on a gift economy. So basically you come, eat dinner (it's a really nice restaurant) and then you pay whatever you can afford and feel is appropriate. Then that money is used to make dinner for the following night. So your meal is paid for by last night's guests and you pay for tomorrow's guests. There are seva cafe's in the US and UK too - I believe there is one in Chicago. Anyways, they closed it down yesterday so Manav Sadhna could do the birthday party there. There is a stage, and a store next door where the sell goods that the kids and women have made - lots of decorate stuff and clothes - it's all really tempting to buy! We had music and singing - they even made me get up on stage and sing (and as most of you know me singing is highly not recommended). But it was fun - everyone else was being shy and they insisted :) No one covered their ears, so it must have been acceptable! Then we did the happy birthday thing, watched some videos that had been put together, and then ate. The food was really really good. The music continued, and people started doing garba - I was helping out in the kitchen dry dishes, so I didn't go in. But it was lots of fun and the atmosphere felt like family. I hear it feels like that every time, even on regular nights when strangers come to eat. The place just has that sort of feel to it.
Today I started working on the first round of public health education presentations I'm going to be giving. I decided to try making just powerpoints of pictures and then just talking through things. Barotbhai said that you can get ready made posters that have to do with various topics, so I was thinking of then putting those up in the classrooms after we present. Right now I'm doing 3 different presentations - hand washing, water, and hygiene. Hand washing is pretty straight forward - I found a video to show and then various pictures. We thought about also bringing some soap and water and making the kids practice, which I think will be lots of fun! The big take home messages there will be - use soap, and it's very important to wash before you eat and after you use the bathroom. The water based presentation is fairly basic, but important in the rainy season. Since lots of kids get sick during the rain, we're going to do a really basic talk on - playing in the rain (ill effects), leaking houses, and mosquitoes. The hygiene one will be more in depth and interesting. It's going to cover everything from cutting your nails, washing your hair, showering, brushing your teeth etc. I'm going to find some pictures of do's and don'ts to present. The pictures are more to keep their attention. If anyone has any ideas on topics or messages to pass on, please let me know! Things like it's important to tell kids to use a nail cutter and not a razor blade to cut their nails (apparently a common issue) is all things that I would never think of having to teach about! This is already a great learning experience for me, and I'm sure there is more to be learned! I'm hoping to talk to the women in the sewing classes and stuff too and not only work with the kids.
Today was the first day of Shravan Mahino. It's a Hindu festival where people fast for an entire month. Most eat one meal and then only fruits and farari (approved) items such as things made of vegetables (potato chips), tea, and lots of various fried dishes, that are made out of non-flour based things. I decided to try to fast the entire month. Let's see if I can do it! Working with these people and kids reminds me that there are people in this world who may never experience what it's like to feel full or to never want to see food again (I know we've all felt that way before). If anything this will be a glimpse into that world - just some small insight into what their lives are like everyday.
In the evening we went to the seva cafe to celebrate the birthday of one of the staff members, Anjali. She's originally from Texas, came to work for awhile, and has ended up staying back ever since - and that was 7 years ago! The Seva Cafe to connected to Manav Sadhna and Gramashree (the sister organization especially for women). It runs on a gift economy. So basically you come, eat dinner (it's a really nice restaurant) and then you pay whatever you can afford and feel is appropriate. Then that money is used to make dinner for the following night. So your meal is paid for by last night's guests and you pay for tomorrow's guests. There are seva cafe's in the US and UK too - I believe there is one in Chicago. Anyways, they closed it down yesterday so Manav Sadhna could do the birthday party there. There is a stage, and a store next door where the sell goods that the kids and women have made - lots of decorate stuff and clothes - it's all really tempting to buy! We had music and singing - they even made me get up on stage and sing (and as most of you know me singing is highly not recommended). But it was fun - everyone else was being shy and they insisted :) No one covered their ears, so it must have been acceptable! Then we did the happy birthday thing, watched some videos that had been put together, and then ate. The food was really really good. The music continued, and people started doing garba - I was helping out in the kitchen dry dishes, so I didn't go in. But it was lots of fun and the atmosphere felt like family. I hear it feels like that every time, even on regular nights when strangers come to eat. The place just has that sort of feel to it.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Ram Rahim Survey Report - Complete!
Today was a perfect Monday - fairly low key but still interesting enough to get you charged up for the week, not that the weekend is much different from the weekdays here!
I finished the report from the surveys in the Ram Rahim Tekro. There were over 900 families surveyed, which I think is an impressive feat in itself! The data were also very interesting, which I have already mentioned. I'm looking forward to hearing what the people funding the projects there think and to see how we proceed from there.
I was sitting around Manav Sadhna today working on my laptop when one of the boys in the Earn and Learn program (designed for kids who work on the streets as a way to earn an income making greeting cards and get some basic education while staying off of the streets) came up to me. He watched me for awhile, which happens pretty often with these kids. I started to talk to him, ask him his name etc. He wanted to know where the mouse was for my computer. I showed it to him and watched as he tried to move the courser around in amazement. It reminded me of the girl I talked to on Friday. She asked where I was from. When I said America, she then asked me if I knew who Amitabh Bachchan (huge Bollywood movie star) was - when I said I did, she very innocently asked if I could introduce her to him. I was so taken aback by the question and didn't realize how serious she was until I looked at her closely and saw her eyes open wide in amazement and anticipation. I told her I didn't know him personally - she replied saying she knows he's probably a very busy man.
Interacting with these kids makes me realize that they think of me, or many of us, as these superstar celebrities from these glamorous worlds. They think we live alongside big movie stars in a world far removed from their own. As hard as it is to see this, it is encouraging to me when I see these kids feel so comfortable around me and the other staff, and see that they we talk to them and care for them like family. Just spending two minutes talking to them or showing them how the mouse works a laptop seems like a small thing to us, but it makes these kids feel like they are some of the most special and important people in the world. Knowing I can be a part of that makes every day something to look forward to.
I finished the report from the surveys in the Ram Rahim Tekro. There were over 900 families surveyed, which I think is an impressive feat in itself! The data were also very interesting, which I have already mentioned. I'm looking forward to hearing what the people funding the projects there think and to see how we proceed from there.
I was sitting around Manav Sadhna today working on my laptop when one of the boys in the Earn and Learn program (designed for kids who work on the streets as a way to earn an income making greeting cards and get some basic education while staying off of the streets) came up to me. He watched me for awhile, which happens pretty often with these kids. I started to talk to him, ask him his name etc. He wanted to know where the mouse was for my computer. I showed it to him and watched as he tried to move the courser around in amazement. It reminded me of the girl I talked to on Friday. She asked where I was from. When I said America, she then asked me if I knew who Amitabh Bachchan (huge Bollywood movie star) was - when I said I did, she very innocently asked if I could introduce her to him. I was so taken aback by the question and didn't realize how serious she was until I looked at her closely and saw her eyes open wide in amazement and anticipation. I told her I didn't know him personally - she replied saying she knows he's probably a very busy man.
Interacting with these kids makes me realize that they think of me, or many of us, as these superstar celebrities from these glamorous worlds. They think we live alongside big movie stars in a world far removed from their own. As hard as it is to see this, it is encouraging to me when I see these kids feel so comfortable around me and the other staff, and see that they we talk to them and care for them like family. Just spending two minutes talking to them or showing them how the mouse works a laptop seems like a small thing to us, but it makes these kids feel like they are some of the most special and important people in the world. Knowing I can be a part of that makes every day something to look forward to.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Spirulina
Today I spent time learning about the Spirulina project. Spriulina is a dietary supplement that is provides nutrients and vitamins, which in turn increases energy and overall health. There is a guy here from America leading this project. He's been here for over a year and piloted giving Spirulina to the kids. They've seen marked growth compared to the control kids, in addition to resolution of anemia, weakness, and overall poor health. After this, Manav Sadhna has decided to make Spirulina into a project of its own. It smells strongly, which many kids have an aversion to, so it's mixed in with food or milk and given to the kids. It's now being given to the kids at two ashrams.
Today the doctor who started its cultivation and provides us with the supply came to visit from Jaipur. She is in her 70s, but truly inspirational. Once her kids settled down, she felt like she wanted to do something for others. So she went to a village far from the city. In this village, like any other, was poverty and need. The men were alcoholics, the women were beaten by them, and the kids were not sent to be educated. This doctor wanted to start a Spriulina farm there, but she made it so only women were able to work there as a way to empower them. She also sponsored a school for the kids to use. She works to market and sell the product, since the women don't have the freedom to leave the village.
We spent the day talking about adding more kids to the project and showing the doctor around Manav Sadhna so she knows what we do. It was very interesting to hear her background and her inspiration for her farm. The Spriulina farm has come full circle - it was started to empower women, and is now being given to undernourished children - that's a win-win for everyone!
Today the doctor who started its cultivation and provides us with the supply came to visit from Jaipur. She is in her 70s, but truly inspirational. Once her kids settled down, she felt like she wanted to do something for others. So she went to a village far from the city. In this village, like any other, was poverty and need. The men were alcoholics, the women were beaten by them, and the kids were not sent to be educated. This doctor wanted to start a Spriulina farm there, but she made it so only women were able to work there as a way to empower them. She also sponsored a school for the kids to use. She works to market and sell the product, since the women don't have the freedom to leave the village.
We spent the day talking about adding more kids to the project and showing the doctor around Manav Sadhna so she knows what we do. It was very interesting to hear her background and her inspiration for her farm. The Spriulina farm has come full circle - it was started to empower women, and is now being given to undernourished children - that's a win-win for everyone!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Health Coordinator and Ram Rahim Tekro meeting
Today was a very busy day! First I went with our health coordinator, Ramanbhai. He makes daily trips to see kids in the anganwadi (preschools) that are reported to be sick and maybe needing medical attention and other members of the community with health concerns. Today we went to visit a kid who reportedly had a bloated stomach. On our way we stopped by another anganwadi (there are like 60 or 70!). Here we saw a kid who was 5 years old, but looked like he was 3. He was short, didn't interact much, and had a bloated stomach. They said he was like that since birth. Ramanbhai told the teacher to follow up with the parents and ask them if they've had him checked out, etc, and report back to him so he knows if we should take him to get seen. Then we went to our actual stomach bloating girl, who didn't actually have a bloated stomach! She wasn't eating, had diarrhea, had "pus" coming out of her eyes a few days ago...Ramanbhai said to bring her to the ashram tomorrow, and he'll take her to the doctor to be seen. He was taking down her information and asked her age . The mother replied "well, she's lost her teeth, so she must be 7." She was serious. They had a home birth, and never got a birth certificate made! What was more surprising is that anyone could look at the girl and tell she is no more than 5, more likely 4. I mean, does a mother, in today's day and age, living in the city, not have at least an estimate of 4 years compared to 7 years? They literally use when your teeth fall out as the marker for turning 7!! I asked Ramanbhai about it and he told me it wasn't just me, that was something they didn't understand and was something he always was educating them about.
While we were sitting there another mom came by saying she wanted to take home the snack we give to the preschoolers to her 19 year old daughter. She was recovering from tuberculosis, and the doctor said she should be fed well, and they couldn't afford to buy her good snacks. Ramanbhai explained that the government will help provide money etc etc. What was shocking is that these same parents spent over Rs. 10,000 ($225 or so) on "babas" or spiritual healers who claim they can cure people of their problems, obviously if the price is right. The people in these areas are uneducated and thus have this blind faith in things such as special slogans and prayers over medication. He told her that she can believe what she wants, but that she needs to continue giving her daughter the medications she needs.
Everyone was leaving to get vaccines today - the government sets up camps to vaccinate people for free in such communities. Ramanbhai had to really encourage many of the people to go! Somehow they have it in their mind that things that are free are ineffective, and treatments that cost money are the only ones that work. It's like this catch-22 - the more you try to help the more issues that arise with compliance!
After this visit we went back to Manav Sadhna - I went to make copies of the collage we made of the kid's portraits, then ate lunch. Then we met with the leaders of the Ram Rahim Tekro. Manav Sadhna is currently funding the classes there along with the proposed new community center, but the hope is that the community takes over the projects and self-sustains. We met and discussed logistics, how the classes were going (they want to add more because they're so successful) and we talked about how construction on the community center is currently on hold due to the rain. It was good to see such a positive interaction between us and the community leaders - such projects are only possible with their support.
Then they went to visit the current community center we have, while I met with the lady whose helping on the tekro project. She wants me to help with correspondence and updates with the people sponsoring the classes and community center. Then I waited for awhile, and assumed that everyone would have gone to Ram Rahim straight, so I got on the bus to go home. After 1 stop I got a call from Barotbhai asking where I was - he came back especially to get me! I felt really bad, but said it's okay. He then asked where I was, and told me to get off at that stop and that he'd pick me up from there. Now I felt worse - I should have waited longer! So then I got off guilty for making him run around so much. He picked me up (after spending 5 minutes unable to find each other at the intersection because of a huge truck in the way) and while I'm feeling this horrible guilt, he's apologizing for not asking me if I wanted to come and assuming I did! I was so taken aback by how sorry he was for not asking, while I thought I was the one who should have felt bad! It's small instances like this that make me feel pride and joy in working alongside these selfless individuals. Moreover, all we had to do at the tekro was put up the collage we printed! I keep thinking I hold my fellow collegues in the highest esteem, yet they still seem to somehow rise even higher than I thought possible. I feel very excited and positive towards my future work here because of the loving and thoughtful individuals I'm working with - these people truly do whatever they can to follow Gandhiji's teachings which gives me inspiration everyday.
While we were sitting there another mom came by saying she wanted to take home the snack we give to the preschoolers to her 19 year old daughter. She was recovering from tuberculosis, and the doctor said she should be fed well, and they couldn't afford to buy her good snacks. Ramanbhai explained that the government will help provide money etc etc. What was shocking is that these same parents spent over Rs. 10,000 ($225 or so) on "babas" or spiritual healers who claim they can cure people of their problems, obviously if the price is right. The people in these areas are uneducated and thus have this blind faith in things such as special slogans and prayers over medication. He told her that she can believe what she wants, but that she needs to continue giving her daughter the medications she needs.
Everyone was leaving to get vaccines today - the government sets up camps to vaccinate people for free in such communities. Ramanbhai had to really encourage many of the people to go! Somehow they have it in their mind that things that are free are ineffective, and treatments that cost money are the only ones that work. It's like this catch-22 - the more you try to help the more issues that arise with compliance!
After this visit we went back to Manav Sadhna - I went to make copies of the collage we made of the kid's portraits, then ate lunch. Then we met with the leaders of the Ram Rahim Tekro. Manav Sadhna is currently funding the classes there along with the proposed new community center, but the hope is that the community takes over the projects and self-sustains. We met and discussed logistics, how the classes were going (they want to add more because they're so successful) and we talked about how construction on the community center is currently on hold due to the rain. It was good to see such a positive interaction between us and the community leaders - such projects are only possible with their support.
Then they went to visit the current community center we have, while I met with the lady whose helping on the tekro project. She wants me to help with correspondence and updates with the people sponsoring the classes and community center. Then I waited for awhile, and assumed that everyone would have gone to Ram Rahim straight, so I got on the bus to go home. After 1 stop I got a call from Barotbhai asking where I was - he came back especially to get me! I felt really bad, but said it's okay. He then asked where I was, and told me to get off at that stop and that he'd pick me up from there. Now I felt worse - I should have waited longer! So then I got off guilty for making him run around so much. He picked me up (after spending 5 minutes unable to find each other at the intersection because of a huge truck in the way) and while I'm feeling this horrible guilt, he's apologizing for not asking me if I wanted to come and assuming I did! I was so taken aback by how sorry he was for not asking, while I thought I was the one who should have felt bad! It's small instances like this that make me feel pride and joy in working alongside these selfless individuals. Moreover, all we had to do at the tekro was put up the collage we printed! I keep thinking I hold my fellow collegues in the highest esteem, yet they still seem to somehow rise even higher than I thought possible. I feel very excited and positive towards my future work here because of the loving and thoughtful individuals I'm working with - these people truly do whatever they can to follow Gandhiji's teachings which gives me inspiration everyday.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Ram Rahim Survey Report Complete
I was supposed to go to the Leper community today. We didn't go, however, because there was lots of rain last night so there would have been water flooding various streets, making access a problem. I didn't get a call about the cancellation until 10 minutes before I was supposed to be picked up; I didn't answer the call until I was at Manav Sadhna (no pockets, rain). It's going to take some effort to get used to the last minute, not on time nature of India!
I went home and then went to the Ram Rahim Tekro to finish the survey report. We talked about different campaigns and priorities to set for the community based on the results and what was already in the works. They have made a lot of progress when it comes to education, skill development, and community building. Health and health awareness is lacking the most, which is exciting for me, because I feel like I have the skills and knowledge to make an impact in that arena - or at least get the ball rolling. The main things needed are regular check-ups, family planning, and addiction education. There is lots of need for basic awareness, which is exactly what public health is all about!
I went home and then went to the Ram Rahim Tekro to finish the survey report. We talked about different campaigns and priorities to set for the community based on the results and what was already in the works. They have made a lot of progress when it comes to education, skill development, and community building. Health and health awareness is lacking the most, which is exciting for me, because I feel like I have the skills and knowledge to make an impact in that arena - or at least get the ball rolling. The main things needed are regular check-ups, family planning, and addiction education. There is lots of need for basic awareness, which is exactly what public health is all about!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Ram Rahim Survey
Today I spent the day working on the Ram Rahim Survey data and report. I was supposed to wait until I got the remaining 250 family forms entered, but it turns out that’ll take a week or two to finish, so we’re going to start with what we have.
Looking at the data was very interesting. There were 619 families surveyed that I looked at in this preliminary report with a total of 3289 people. The families averaged 5 people per family, and ranged from 1 person to 10 people. Most of the residents perform manual labor. They average less than $100 per month! The average education level for the about 50% of the population that is educated is 9 years. Only 80 people admit to having an addiction (mostly tobacco), but I’m guessing that it was underreported and that number is much higher. About 100 families do not have a toilet in their house – half of these use the government toilets, and the other half use the river! In addition, there are about the same number of families without water in their home – and some of these also use the river as their source of water! Almost all of the families had electricity, but virtually none had a vehicle to get around. The most interesting part to me personally were the questions about family planning. Families averaged 3 kids and over 200 women claimed to have a “family planning operation” which I’m assuming is either a tubal ligation or a hysterectomy. I find that to be very shocking – it’s about one-third of the families!
Even though the health related aspects are the most interesting to me, seeing this data reminds me that every aspect of living plays into lifestyle, which in turn plays into health. I’m hoping to sit down with the coordinator, Barotbhai, in the next few days and talk about what the data tells us about what Manav Sadhna can do for the community based on the needs identified in this assessment. I commend Manav Sadhna for undertaking this survey which was obviously a huge endeavor, and at the start of their work with this community no less – this will really help guide their efforts and ensure the work we do is really addressing what the community needs. I’m excited to set concrete goals and start working towards them in this community and help provide them with the tools to reach their full potential.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Ram Rahim Tekro Survey and Hard of Hearing Ticket Counter Guy
Hi Everyone,
I apologize for not writing anything the last few days. I got sick, so I stayed home and rested, for 2 days and then the weekend, something I haven't done in a long time! But I'm feeling better now!
Today I started looking at the data from the survey they did on the residents of the Ram Rahim Tekro. It's actually really interesting and comprehensive. They surveyed almost 1000 homes. I currently have the data for 620. They got information on each person living in the home, and then asked questions about the household - electricity, toilet facilities, addiction to tobacco. Today I created an outline of what the report with this data should contain. I broke it up into categories and I hope to put in statistics on what we found from the homes and then a few lines on what Manav Sadhna can focus on in each area. Hopefully I'll get the rest of the data in a few days and can get the report ready.
On a different note, there was a new guy at the bus ticket counter today. The stop I go to is called the RTO circle. So I approached the counter and said "RTO." He said something back, which I heard to be "circle" so I said yes. Then I saw the screen show one ticket to Andhrajan Mangal, the Blind People's association stop. I told him, "oh, sorry, no RTO." The guy looks up at me and says, now if this was 1 second later, the ticket would already have been issued, then what? I said sorry. He continued: the fault is yours, you said the wrong stop, and then all you can say is sorry; what about the ticket I would have issued? I've been going to this stop for 2 weeks now, and I always go to RTO and somehow no one has had any issues hearing me - moreover, I can't even pronounce Andhrajan Mangal! But instead of telling him that he misheard and how dare he accuse me misspeaking, I simply replied, "well if that ticket would have been issued before I realized the mistake, I would have paid for both." I realized that was not the response that he expected and he was left speechless. I don't know if working with these inspiring individuals has humbled me, or if I have simply become more laid back, but it's in situations like these that we realize that not every battle has to be fought; sometimes you just have to let the other person win.
I apologize for not writing anything the last few days. I got sick, so I stayed home and rested, for 2 days and then the weekend, something I haven't done in a long time! But I'm feeling better now!
Today I started looking at the data from the survey they did on the residents of the Ram Rahim Tekro. It's actually really interesting and comprehensive. They surveyed almost 1000 homes. I currently have the data for 620. They got information on each person living in the home, and then asked questions about the household - electricity, toilet facilities, addiction to tobacco. Today I created an outline of what the report with this data should contain. I broke it up into categories and I hope to put in statistics on what we found from the homes and then a few lines on what Manav Sadhna can focus on in each area. Hopefully I'll get the rest of the data in a few days and can get the report ready.
On a different note, there was a new guy at the bus ticket counter today. The stop I go to is called the RTO circle. So I approached the counter and said "RTO." He said something back, which I heard to be "circle" so I said yes. Then I saw the screen show one ticket to Andhrajan Mangal, the Blind People's association stop. I told him, "oh, sorry, no RTO." The guy looks up at me and says, now if this was 1 second later, the ticket would already have been issued, then what? I said sorry. He continued: the fault is yours, you said the wrong stop, and then all you can say is sorry; what about the ticket I would have issued? I've been going to this stop for 2 weeks now, and I always go to RTO and somehow no one has had any issues hearing me - moreover, I can't even pronounce Andhrajan Mangal! But instead of telling him that he misheard and how dare he accuse me misspeaking, I simply replied, "well if that ticket would have been issued before I realized the mistake, I would have paid for both." I realized that was not the response that he expected and he was left speechless. I don't know if working with these inspiring individuals has humbled me, or if I have simply become more laid back, but it's in situations like these that we realize that not every battle has to be fought; sometimes you just have to let the other person win.
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