March 8 International Women's Day Event

International Women's began with women protesting against wages and conditions within the textile industry at the turn of the 20th Century and has since grown into a global movement on March 8th. 

Annually around the world events are held that celebrate women’s contribution to society from fun runs, breakfast panels, gala events to festivals. 

We are excited to announce that AarogyaSeva will conducting an event at our soon to be open new AarogyaSeva Clinic- AarogyaSeva Karuna Clinic opposite the Lalbagh Siddapura gate on International Women’s Day.

The new AarogyaSeva Clinic centre will not only be a free clinic but also a prosthetic limb centre. Disability is an important public health problem in India with 2.6 million people living with a disability according to the 2011 census.

The clinic will house a 3-D printer with a focus on creation of upper limb prosthesis for children.   The recipients will be involved in designing, printing and assembling the limb making it an experiential and empowering process. 

It is intended that in collaboration with our partner organisations- The Challenging Ones, Association of People with Disability, IEEE, BMS College of Engineering and Rochester Institute of Technology least 25 limbs will be created in the first year.  

In additional we are seeking to use the space to provide workshops, education and awareness on 3D printing and health as well as allowing students and innovators to experiment with creating low cost medical solutions.

So please come along on March 8th and see the new clinic and support the female artists! Looking forward to seeing you all there. 

If you are interested in learning more or providing assistance please write to us at  Volunteer@aarogyaseva.org

Sanitary Napkins and Feminine Hygiene

Seeing the sanitary napkins women empowerment project whilst as part of 2016 Medical Yatra made me want to look into this topic a bit more.

For someone from a developed country we do not think much with regards to this area of female hygiene nor do we generally have any issues with access to sanitary napkins or tampons. Yet many women around the world still use scraps of dirty cloths which they cannot clean or sanitise properly.  Alarmingly I read that up to 70% of all reproductive diseases in India are caused by poor menstrual hygiene.

For so many women around the world menstruation is still a taboo subject with many restrictions placed on the women particularly around isolation as they are considered unclean.  Yet I can see why the commercially available products are not used openly and freely as women especially in rural villages have trouble to access, afford and dispose of them properly.  Further to this there is still much lacking on education on menstruation and female hygiene.

Fortunately there are several different projects currently in place using different approaches to address this issue including the use of cloths and menstrual cups.

This is the first time I’ve come across menstrual cups like SheCup or Ruby Cup. Both use a medical grade silicon cup which is inserted in the vagina like a tampon. The benefits of these are that they are much cheaper and better for the environment than commercially available sanitary napkins.   

Another project/initiative is Goonj’s Not Just a Piece of Cloth (NJPC) which was established in 2005 and has expanded globally.  They use old/discarded cloth to create reusable sanitary napkins and use this as platform to engage and educate about female hygiene whilst also providing job opportunities.  

The basis of the project that I saw at the Gram Seva Trust Hospital is related to the work Arunachalam Muruganantham and his company Jayaashree Industries.  What is particularly inspiring about Arunachalam is that he did not finish high school and that what began as a way to impress his new bride has evolved to something so much more which included him testing sanitary pads himself with the use of animal blood. I highly recommend watching Arunachalam TED talk from 2012. A documentary called 'Menstrual Man' has been created about him and his work.

What I love about the project I saw is that it is run by women for the women giving them a much needed low cost solution and income. Furthermore the pads are biodegradable reducing our impact on the environment particularly given that waste disposal is another burden particularly in rural areas.

As with all things I believe that a variety of different solutions are needed to address this issue as there is never a one size fits all to any problem.

I’d like to leave you all with an amusing advertisement we have in Australia which shows the marked difference between the countries views on the topic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg2-ZzSBl5s

Links on that mentioned above can be found below.

• RubyCup www.ruby-cup.com
• SheCup www.shecup.com
• Goonj NJPC http://njpc.goonj.org/
• Arunachalam's TED talk https://www.ted.com/talks/arunachalam_muruganantham_how_i_started_a_sanitary_napkin_revolution?language=en
• 'Menstrual Man" Documentary http://www.menstrualman.com/  
• Arunachalam's company Jayaashree Industries http://newinventions.in/

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AarogyaSeva and AarogyaSeva does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

To get in touch with the author or to join our team write to us at – Volunteer@aarogyaseva.org

2016 AIPNO Medical Yatra

 

As was previously noted, Aarogyaseva was again part of 2016 Medical Yatra in Gujarat which ran from 23rd January to 30th January in connection with the following organisations

• Association of Indian Physicians of Northern Ohio (AIPNO)
• Action Research in Community Health (ARCH)
• Rotary Club of Dharampur 
• Shabri Chhatralaya
• Intal

It brought 37 both medical professionals and general volunteers from USA, UK, India and Australia in conjunction with local health workers, Rotarians and ARCH workers.  We had with us a mix of internal/family doctors, emergency physicians, paediatricians, obstetrics/gynaecologists, dentists and an orthopaedic surgeon.  Apart from seeing the patients we also conducted CPR and dental hygiene education sessions as well as have patients take part in blood pressure research.

AIPNO was founded in 1983 and is a non-profit membership organisation of physicians of Indian origin in Northern Ohio. It has membership of 300 physicians and have they organised Medical Yatras since 2001.  They have provided aid to Mexico, Haiti, Peru, Ecuador, Uganda, Kenya, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Burundi and India. What is amazing is that the volunteers who came were in the late 60s and 70s who were either semi retired or retired.  Visit their website http://www.aipno.org/ for more information

ARCH currently provides provides primary health care services to approximately 25,000 patients along with basic health education and preventative services such as vaccinations and prenatal care. In addition they provide movie health camps in surrounding villages.  More about them can be found here: http://www.archgujarat.org/ 

We were split into 2 groups each visiting 5 locations over 5 days seeing up to 1,000 patients daily and ~4,000 patients in total. (The exact numbers are still to be finalised.)  People came from nearby villages and waited patiently for several hours to be seen. At each spot we spent 4-8 hours depending on the number of patients that presented.   For some of us we stepped into unfamiliar roles of dental, paediatric, gynaecology or pharmacy assistants, whilst others had to recall prior knowledge to diagnose, prescribe and dispense medications.   All of us had to improvise with limited supplies and diagnostic tools whilst working in a team to provide the best possible outcome.

Each stop was unique with a different variety of diagnosis and facilities. On some days it took us only about 30 minutes to get there and on others over 90 minutes across dirt roads. The majority of time we were situated within the local school which meant the kids had a disruptive day and were free to interact with the group, be seen by paediatricians or dentists and/or attend educational sessions being run. Regardless of where we were, the locals were all very welcoming and patient. It was heartwarming to see some of the older children assist with translation, directing people and/or helping the older patients to where they needed to go. 

Undernutrition was massive problem with 14-16 year old teenagers looking like they were 9-10 years old. The adults on the other hand looked much older than they should be due to physical outdoor labour with in many cases extremely high blood sugars and blood pressures. 

Language was a massive issue with local tribal languages being spoken in many instances as opposed to Gujarati or Hindi which become a case requiring up to 3 interpreters sometimes depending on the translator and Doctor.   

Observations

• all who came were strong, happy and didn’t complain about the wait or their lot in life with physical examinations easy due to the lack of fat (many of those in their 40s/50s had six pack abs!) 
• Biggest issues were undernutrition, undiagnosed hypertension, diabetes, goitres, cataracts, dry skin and cavities 
• Introduction of fluoride, reduced salt and sugar diets and iodised salt would greatly assist these communities as part of preventable health schemes  
• Girls were particularly shy with all being curious particularly around the tall Americans, our smart phones and cameras 

Outcomes from 2016 Medical Yatra

• Recommendations to reduce cavities and improve teeth health particularly in children to be provided to local government officials 
• ARCH has committed to follow up patients seen including scheduling of 33 cataract surgeries 
• A piece for AJ+ (on online news and current events channel by Al Jazeera Media Network AJMN) is being finalised.  

All of us came with open hearts, warm smiles, positive and flexible attitudes and a sense of humour but left with so much more.  We have much to learn from each other and language is not a barrier.

I would highly recommend going on Medical Yatra as it is so much more than volunteering with an amazing bunch of people and seeing the countryside and interacting with the locals in a unique way as it includes component of spirituality as we stayed at Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur and were even fortunate enough to have an audience with Baba Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai.  More about the Ashram and their work is here: http://www.shrimadrajchandramission.org/

More photos are available here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1582019118687142.1073741860.1384301005125622&type=1&l=4335feceba 

Number of Doctors: 14 including 2 dentists

Total number of volunteers: 37

Number of patients seen: ~4000

Number of sites visited: 10 

Volunteer hours (based on average 6 hour day for 37 volunteers) : 1110 hours

Pre Medical Yatra-Community Engagement/Education

In line with prior years, AarogyaSeva was again part of 2016 Medical Yatra organised by/in association with  AIPNO, Rotary Club of Northern Ohio, Rotary Club of Dharampur and Gram Seva Trust. This year it was held in Gujarat. 

To further broaden the volunteer experience of the Medical Yatra they organised a 2 day Community Engagement and Education program.   We were welcomed and thanked by the local schools with speeches and presentations, and song and dance.  We had a tour of the Gram Seva Trust Hospital, we participated in “Swachh Bharat” which was an initiative to clean up local community and reduce littering. We also visited local communities touring their water filtration facility, local diary collection facility/co-op and also visited the installed toilets which were made possible through Gram Seva Trust and the Rotary Club of Dharampur.   

The Gram Seva Trust was established by husband and wife team Dr Harsha and Ashwin Shah in 1994 starting as a 30 bed hospital with 5 staff has now grown to 80 bed facility with 100 staff and includes running of many community project which aims to assist women, children and the elderly including the establishment of libraries, boarding facilities for children, mobile clinics, and education on health, nutrition and hygiene.  More on Gram Seva Trust can be found: http://www.gramseva.org/

The local diary facility we visited has become its’ own social enterprise and is a co-op for the local community. The sale of the the milk has made it possible for the community to save and fund additional local initiatives such as heifer micro-lending program.  The heifer are purchased via a loan and once the cow produces milk and thus an income the loan is repaid.  The villager are then able to have a continuous sustainable income going forward for their families.  Given it’s success this co-op will be used as model for nearby villages.

Those of us from more developed countries take for granted our access to toilets. We were initially a little puzzled by our tour of several villages just to see the constructed toilets however this is actually a very important initiative for the villages as we were told stories of women being raped when they ventured out for the bathroom alone. Prior to the construction of toilets, the women would meet up as a group to go to a secluded spot in the field to do their business.

While we were there Gram Seva Trust Hospital they had a children's education fair. Just like at a fete/fair there was a jumping castle, giant snakes and ladders, ball throwing games, hola hoops etc where the children are taught about health topics whilst having fun.

By far my favourite community initiative was the sanitary napkins women empowerment project. This is run by the women for the women and provides improved health and education as well reducing the stigma around menstruation.   The sanitary napkins are made by hand from cotton and wood pulp which importantly are also biodegradable. These are then sold by women to women in their local villages at much lower cost to that which are mass produced and made from plastic and other non-biodegradable materials. This facility was based within the Gram Seva Trust Hospital and with this success they are looking to expand and replicate this to up to 15 facilities.

Key Takeaways

• it is together that we are able to make a bigger difference
• be grateful for running water, toilets and waste collection services
• access to health and education and also knowledge of these are the biggest barriers to progress

There will be more on the actual Medical Yatra in the coming days.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AarogyaSeva and AarogyaSeva does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

To get in touch with the author or to join our team write to us at – Volunteer@aarogyaseva.org

                  

      

Wendy Chan - Introductory Post

Namaste.

My name is Wendy Chan and you’ll be hearing from me over the next 6 months.

It is my first time to India and so far I’ve found Bangalore a vibrant, friendly and beautiful city.  I am looking forward to being immersed in the various different cultures, spices and contrasts and contradictions that is India. Above all I am really excited to be doing a 6 month internship here with AarogyaSeva as part of my 6 month IDEX Global Fellowship Program.   

The IDEX Global Fellows program is a 6 month curriculum filled with curated readings, professional development assignments and workshops, one on one mentoring and coaching as well as a placement in local organisation. IDEX’s mission is to create the next wave of individuals who will innovate, develop and promote solutions to social challenges within an existing enterprise or organisation. To find out more please head to: http://www.idexfellows.com/

There are 14 other fellows as part of my cohort at IDEX this year and they have been placed with a diverse range of organisations such as Ashoka, LabourNet, Wings and Shenomics. I’m hoping we can leverage off these networks for some mutually beneficial outcomes.  Last week we were given the opportunity to settle into our new city, get to know each other and hear from a diverse range of speakers.  One of the highlights was our visit to AMBA.

AMBA provides training to the intellectually challenged so that they can be employed to do back office data entry jobs. This brings life changing fulfillment and economic empowerment to the individuals and reduces the economic burden on their families.  Further to that, AMBA provides free training to organisations that would be keen to empower intellectually challenged in their local communities. To date they there are 105 AMBA partners spanning 17 states, impacting over 3,200 intellectually disabled adults and growing.  If you know of anyone with data entry work or would be keen to get in touch with AMBA let me know.  Otherwise to find out more please head over to their website: http://www.ambaforlife.org/

So a little about me, I’m originally from Hong Kong though as I grew up in Australia I do associate myself as an Aussie.  Still I think my Chinese heritage has deeply influenced my perspective. I was most recently working in Banking where I helped managed a portfolio of both small enterprises and large multinational corporates customers from a diverse range of industries including but not limited to retirement and aged care operators, car dealerships, label manufacturers and property investors.  Prior to that I was previously a pharmacist and so have an understanding of the dynamics and challenges of providing healthcare to the community.  

During my time at AarogyaSeva I’m looking to increase brand awareness particularly via social media, grow the AarogyaSeva Student Chapter and help coordinate various other activities and initiatives.  I am looking forward to meeting the team and engaging with AarogyaSeva supporters.

We are open to suggestions, ideas and feedback so please feel free to drop us a line.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AarogyaSeva and AarogyaSeva does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

To get in touch with the author or to join our team write to us at – Volunteer@aarogyaseva.org

Wendy Chan, Australia - 11 January 2016 - 11 July 2016

 Wendy Chan has joined us as part of the January 2016 IDEX  fellowship. The IDEX Global Fellows program is a 6 month  curriculum filled with curated readings, professional  development assignments and workshops, one on one  mentoring and coaching as well as a placement in local  organisation. IDEX’s mission is to create the next wave of    individuals who will innovate, develop and promote solutions to  social challenges within an existing enterprise or organisation.

 Wendy is originally from Hong Kong though has spent most of  her time growing up in Brisbane Australia.  She has over 5 years  experience in banking looking after the requirements of both  family owned and multinational listed corporations. Prior to  this she was a registered pharmacist with close to 7 years experience in the community setting. She holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy and a Masters of Commerce Adv (Accounting) from the University of Queensland.

During her time with AarogyaSeva Wendy is seeking to increase our brand awareness and interactions with supporters particularly via use of social media.  She will regularly update the blog, look to engage and build AarogyaSeva student chapters whilst also helping out where she can.

Wendy can be reached at Wendy@aarogyaseva.org

Annelies - Blog Week 4

 The time flies here in India. It is already the last week of my internship. The last week I spent my time on the Cosmetic Dermatology department. This department has a lot of similarity to the treatments of the Skin Therapist in the Netherlands. The Skin Therapist is in the Netherlands furnished to have a collaboration with the (para)medical disciplines in particular the Dermatologist. As I described before, Skin Therapy is very unknown around the world. In the collaboration between the skin therapist and the Dermatologist, the Dermatlogist mainly sees cases such as acne, excessive hair growth, chemical peelings, microderm abrasion, camouflage, laser treatment, micro needling to the Skin Therapist. Skin therapists can treat up to a certain depth into the skin and if the case does not belong to their knowledge, it is forwarded to the dermatologist, or another professionals. It was good to see the similarities of treatments, but also the different ways of treating the cases. I have learned a lot about different scar treatment techniques. What is known about scars is that the treatment is complex, especially the deeper scars. I can take it with me in the work field of the skin treatment in The Netherlands or  in other places where they do not use this techniques yet.

What I really like at the internship in India was to learn more of the treatment of the colored (pigmentation) skin, the different healthcare system compared to the western world, and the diversity of cases. I saw many cases I had previously only seen in pictures. But it was all above the whole experience.

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I think it's a good addition to my professional experience, but also to my professional development by seeing different cultures and lifestyles. But it is not the end of my ‘abroad experience’. The next destination is Nepal. I am going to do two weeks of volunteering for the victims of the earthquake. 

Disclaimer: Annelies is a native Dutch speaker. This article has not been edited for either content or grammar.  The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AarogyaSeva and AarogyaSeva does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

To get in touch with the author or to join our team write to us at – Volunteer@aarogyaseva.org