Monday, May 19, 2014

Sneha G Bapat

Sneha G Bapat is a standard 12 student from Pune, Maharashtra. She has decided to dedicate her summer holidays to do what her heart tells her and volunteer with AarogyaSeva in Bangalore for 4 weeks. At 16 she is our youngest intern and has already participated in the TCS Majja Run to support the cause of rape and abuse in India. She is going to spend her time learning, participating in seva activities and helping us with various tasks. Here is what she has to say:
"All our lives, we negotiate about what we want, what we like and what the world wants and likes… We keep on thinking whether to stick to our own choices or to go with the world (flow)(other people’s opinion). There is this conflict between our mind and out heart, where generally the mind wins and we end up putting our choices aside, end up giving up on our dreams. We just tend to go with the world. Follow the Trend! Follow, like Sheep…! We walk the same trodden path rather than making our own trail.
We keep on running round the clock , don’t even have time for our own thoughts forget the others.
We don’t LIVE, we just “E-X-I-S-T”, in a false world, go round in an illusion. Believe and conquer lies. We don’t even know when the day starts and when it ends. So busy with our so called “MODERNESS” , we don’t even breathe leisurely. We follow the same routine everyday, which has somehow become the part of our lives. Everything is so fast-paced that everything else around us is a blur…! We don’t have life in us, we are machines which have been set to do work. We breathe for working, for toiling, for spending our lives in boring and bare office rooms, tying and clicking our soul (life) away.
When we live life happy, sad happy- sad, little do we know what lies ahead or what life has in store for us. It is so true when it is said “ Time is money” people run around the clock doing so many things (chores), laboring themselves till they are all weak and grey and then sit and remember all the days behind and repent and regret and think/imagine how nice it would be if they could just go back and change things, so they could have a cup of tea now with a smile on their lips whenever they think of their past."

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Gandevi, Gujarat, India

Sorting a massive pile of medicine before a 6 day camp starts tomorrow. This is really only a small portion of the total medicines we have for the camp! 

Arrival!

After 2 nights of overnight bus rides, with a break in Hubli to attend an excellent conference called "Development Dialogue and International Conference 2014", we finally arrived near Gandevi from Bangalore. This is us with all our luggage and medicine piling everything into a car and getting ready for the 30 minute car ride to Gandevi. Overall, it was an adventurous trip with an opportunity to be inspired and network at the conference. Note the refreshing drizzle outside, which is uncharacteristic weather for this time of year. 

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Nancy Niklis, USA - January 2014 onwards

Nancy holds a BS in Geology & Geophysics and a MS in Tropical 
Plant and Soil Sciences, both from The University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. Her MS thesis focused on the transport and deposition of arsenic used in Hawai'i on former sugarcane lands. She is the founder of "Sustainability Services" where she gives lectures to youth in Asia on site-specific environmental problems and works with them to empower and encourage them to care for their natural resources and be stewards of their land. She is documenting the activities of Aarogya Seva by writing, taking photos, and handling all parts of their 'digital world'.



Nina Chen, China - 22 November to 6 December 2013

Nina is a Graduate from the Toulouse Business School in France and works as a interior designer and HR manager in China. She is a very talented photographer and a globe trotter. She volunteered as a photographer and communications consultant. She also volunteered in the Rural health interventions in rainforests of Agumbe in Karnataka. 

Dr Shruti Mony, Dubai - September 25 to October 12 2013

Position : Social volunteer
Profile :

I recently graduated from medical school and obtained my MBBS degree from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal. I am currently looking to pursue my residency in Internal Medicine in the US. Having been through medical school, community service has always been my passion. Setting up camps and spreading disease awareness among the local population is a different experience all together. I am a avid learner and keen to share my knowledge with everyone around me. I like travelling to new places, learning the local language so patients are more at ease. I am looking forward to this opportunity of working with the Seva team and consider it an honor of being part of such a noble organization.

Winnie Chang, Taiwan - August 2012 onwards

Chang Yashu alias Winnie is an extremely dedicated and hard working intern working with us from August 2012 onwards. She is a Major in Psychological Counselling. She has worked in the Taiwan Institute of Psychology and is currently pursuing a course in Drama Therapy from Bangalore.

She started volunteering with us in the beginning of August 2012. Winnie was an important member of the team which went to Uttarkashi during the disaster relief operations. She continues to volunteer now with partner organisations in the areas of Yoga for children with special needs and children affected by HIV.