PROMOTING HEALTH

Health is one of the major issues in slum life because children and adults usually live in highly unhygienic conditions. As a result, they suffer from a range of diseases like malaria, respiratory problems, diarrhea, etc. For this reason, Asha-Kiran conducts Health Checkup Camps in the Community and Construction Site Centers for children and adults as well. Our Health Program runs at the preventive and curative levels.

Our objectives are to

Identify health related issues
Reduce health problems
Provide health care facilities.

During the months of July and August, it was found that most of the children at both projects were suffering from colds and cough, for which they received the proper medication. There is a rise in certain illnesses due to seasonal factors such as the monsoon, so seasonal checkups are carried out in addition to regular ones.

LET'S PROMOTE THEIR HEALTH

RAPE: THE PROBLEM BEHIND THE PROBLEM

In 2011-12, the gender rights NGO Akshara conducted a study in collaboration with Hindustan Times called 'Make Mumbai safe for women'. After surveying 4,200 women in Mumbai, it was found that 95% of the respondents had experienced sexual harassment on the street, and 46% on public buses. Despite the escalation of offenses against women, the gang rape of August 22, along with other rapes in the last year, has left people bewildered, incensed and in search of answers.

Nevertheless, rape is endemic and widespread in Indian society, occurring both inside and outside the home. The victims are not only women, but also teenagers and girls. The best way to tackle the problem is at its base: during childhood. It is necessary to educate children, reach their parents, their neighborhoods, their communities. There must be gender sensitization workshops for teachers, parents and school administrators. Gender equality, as a subject, should be compulsory in the school curriculum. There should be innovative events, creative activities and projects for children and parents, month after month, year round.

There are no quick cures to a problem that arises from an entrenched patriarchal system and misogyny fueled by a culture of impunity. Violence against women has to be eradicated through intelligently conceived, intense and sensitive work at the school, community and district level, all backed by a relentless media campaign that can evolves as needs change. Laws and punitive measures are not enough. Although progress may be slow and may obstacles will have to be overcome, this is the only way to go if there is to be a radical change in society’s attitude towards the female sex.

Source: hindustantimes

FUN AND CREATIVITY

For three weeks in the month of August, various arts and crafts activities were conducted at all of our projects for our young beneficiaries, led by Laura Amor and Silvia Benítez, two Spanish volunteers. Some of the objectives behind the workshops were to enhance the children’s psycho-motor skills, teach them to handle the various materials used, and enhance their creativity in innovative ways. 

Aside from thoroughly enjoying the activities, they were helpful to arouse the children’s interest in studies. Language was not a barrier for either the volunteers or the children, who understood each other perfectly. Laura and Silvia drew, made face masks, sang songs and danced with the children.  It was rewarding to see them opening up to, interacting with each other, and having so much fun.

When volunteers from the West go to India for the first time, a process of adaptation occurs when they come into close contact with vulnerable children. This process usually ends in a new attitude towards life and relationships, as was Silvia’s case, who has shared her feelings with us.

“Today I thank life for allowing me to learn this way; because I have been ‘slapped’ to make me see that I have infinite good fortune; because it has taught me the universal language of smiles and looks; because it has set me before another world and other lives that are totally different yet wonderful; because it has made me see my boundless love for children; because it has made me understand that I am just an accident and that my ego is not more than one of those pebbles I encounter along the way.

Today I think I'm more humble. Right now I feel like a millionth of a total and wonderful whole, and as such, why not, also a wonderful part, but not an important one.

Today, I promise myself to thank the universe more often for all that I have been offered. Today, I promise myself to get up every day with the firm intention of helping others, starting by those near me. Today, I commit myself to breathe in life every second, to be aware of every moment and never cease in my work of attempting to be a better person. Today, I see the world through different eyes.”

LET'S SUPPORT THEIR CREATIVITY

WOMEN POWER

This story of a woman farmer is a testimony to the change that women can bring to their families and communities when provided access to training and the proper resources. Ram is a leader who defied social norms in her community in Uttar Pradesh and has been implementing sustainable farming methods on her farm for the past ten years thanks to the training she received from GEAG.

Equipped with know-how, she uses intercropping and crop rotation to increase farmland productivity and improve soil fertility. She maximizes production during the dry season, growing more than 32 crop varieties. The monsoon is often devastating in Ram’s village, so she counteracts its effects by growing flood-resistant vines that allow her to farm the land during the rainy season.

Before Ram was successful in agriculture, many women in her village were reluctant to attend the training provided by GEAG. The social ridicule she faced, however, dissipated when she saved enough money to buy her own piece of land. Inspired by her example, village women began to attend classes and to develop sustainable agricultural management practices.

Since then, Ram has taught 200 women in her village, 90 of which are now small-scale organic farmers who use local seed varieties. Recently, Ram bought a well so that women would not have to walk long distances in search of water, thereby increasing their productivity. Ram continues to create solutions to adapt to climate change in her community, empowering other women to become advocates for the environment and self-sufficient farmers.

Source: womensearthalliance

BETTER VISION

In collaboration with Bharati Vidyapeth Deemed University, Asha-Kiran conducted eye checkups for the dwellers of the slum community we work with in Hadapsar, Pune.

A total of 101 people were screened, of which around 50 were found to have vision deficiencies and will be fitted with glasses. Also, six of them have cataracts and will undergo corrective surgery, paid for by Bharati Hospital, to correct their condition. 

HELP SUPPORT THEIR GLOBAL HEALTH 

DEVADASI GIRL PROSTITUTES

Every January, nearly half a million people visit the small town of Saundatti to be blessed by Yellamma, the Hindu goddess of fertility. Some girls from the "untouchable" caste "marry" Yellamma from early childhood. They are never allowed to marry a mortal, as they are forced to devote their lives to the service of the goddess. This was once considered a holy calling, but in practice, to become a devadasi is a direct path to sexual exploitation.

Centuries ago, the Devadasi were educated in prayer, music and dance. They were often courtesans, but they had a control over their lives that to the rest of Indian women did not have. The Devadasi system was created by the feudal class and the priests. Apparently, they devised a way to give prostitution religious and official approval.

At puberty, the devadasi "serve" the priests and residents of the temple, zamindars (local landowners) and other men with money and power. The "service" (sexual satisfaction) given to these men is considered akin to serving God. If a devadasi escaped her fate, she would be rejected by society. These girls are also extremely vulnerable to being sold or trafficked to brothels in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune and other major cities.

It is estimated that over 450,000 devadasi are trapped in this hideous form of prostitution, glorified by religious laws. According to the Devadasi Security Act of 1934, the practice is banned in India. The ban was reinforced again in 1980, but it is broken every day. Poverty and being an "untouchable" contributes to the persistence of this terrible practice. It will take intelligent and effective actions to transform traditions and the poverty that pushes families to offer their daughters as devadasi.

LET’S EDUCATE DISADVANTAGED MINORITIES

Source: theguardian.com

A HUNGRY NATION

Despite its economic growth, India remains a hungry nation. According to the government, almost half of Indian children under five are chronically malnourished. Some economists have called India's inability to adequately feed its women and children “a catastrophic failure with far-reaching implications, not only for the people of India today, but also for the generations to be born in the near future”.

The new Food Security bill is considered by some as the best tool to combat chronic malnutrition and hunger since it seeks to make food a legal right. I will attempt to cover two-thirds of the country's population and provide 5kg of subsidized grain per person per month.

Although this appears to be good news, the proposal has detractors. On the one hand, pro-government critics argue that the plan could upset the national budget if it doubles food subsidies (17 billion Euros). According to them, this will not help India to reduce its fiscal deficit, and they address the food security debate as "a matter of hungry people versus fiscal responsibility".

According to its critics, there are more severe reservations about the plan. One is that it proposes to distribute food through notoriously corrupt ration shops. Several studies of recent years have estimated that between 37% and 55% of subsidized rice and wheat are illegally diverted in these stores and sold in the open market.

Some activists also argue that the process of classification of beneficiaries by the state and federal government is complex and also lends itself to corruption.

Finally, there is the issue of the poor quality of food storage facilities. According to an estimate, India has 60 million tons of food reserves to cover the plan, but much of the food sits rotting in warehouses and open spaces. This has been described as "a situation of hunger in the midst of plenty".

Critics say this is mainly due to a warped food policy: the government buys grain from farmers at too high a price (called "minimum support price"). This reinforces production but reduces demand because of the high price of food, so the government is forced to buy the difference to keep prices artificially high.

It has been said that the bill has been a move by the current government in view of the possibly closely fought 2014 general elections. "Actually," says one economist "is not whether the bill will add to the high subsidies in India, it is a question of the quality of the delivery system and that the food reaches the beneficiaries."

One solution, many say, is to transfer cash to beneficiaries instead of using a creaky system as a means to distribute food. There is no solution in sight. The jury is still out on how to fight hunger in India, and perhaps the Food Security Act is not the magic pill some think it is.

LET'S HELP THEM GET PROPER NOURISHMENT

Source: bbc.co.uk