Today was the first eye-opening experience of many that I predict to have on my trip here in India. For some reason when I first arrived, the poverty didn’t seem to be that unfamiliar to me. Maybe it is because I was raised in Kingston, Jamaica, and have seen the sad sight of poor areas, misfortunate children, beggars on the street, and unhealthy living conditions, or maybe because so many people warned me about it. Today, however, everything was multiplied by 1000.
We began by visiting AmeriCares India Foundation; an “independent registered trust in India.” Since 2006, their mission has been to help people live longer and healthier lives. They receive their funding from various donors such as Pharma Donors for the medicines they give out and other company and individual donations to just keep their organization running. Not only does AmeriCares help the citizens of Mumbai, but they also give free medicines to 11 other cities and also lend a hand when it comes to emergency response; such as in the Leh mudslides of 2010, the bomb blast in Ahmedabad, and the flood in Bihar.
We had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with Dr. Purvish Parikh, the VP and Managing Director of AmeriCares India. He told us that half the population of Mumbai is living in slums and that ‘shanties’ can be found right next to high-rise expensive apartments. This is truly opposite of the United States; where ‘ghettos’ are usually far away from the affluent suburban areas.
A great question that was asked by Jen during our discussion with Dr. Parikh was: How do you prioritize which areas get help? His response was “we work in areas that fewer people look at”. This suggestion can and should be taken to the states in regards to public health outreach and upcoming social entrepreneurs’ missions. It’s great to have the same cause and reach out to a community that may already be getting services but at the same time shouldn’t we also reach out to those that have not been helped or listened to; making sure that less-represented communities are receiving the same services and treatment that others may get. At the end of the day isn’t that what Public Health is all about? Decreasing the gap of health injustices worldwide?
I found it amazing that Dr. Parikh had stats on the rate of infant mortality over the past 5 years. He was able to conclude that with the help of AmeriCares India along with other NGOs infant mortality has drastically decreased. AmeriCares India promotes proper health by giving lectures, group sessions, and assimilation. They have one objective for each subset (for example immunizations for young people and sexual health for adults). They recently launched a mobile clinics program to bring medical services and medicines directly to India’s urban poor”. We had the exciting opportunity of being able to work alongside the mobile clinic in the Bhagonwali-Ghovandi slums. This is home to a dump that hosts all of Mumbai’s trash…I repeat the entire city of Mumbai’s trash! It was here that I was made aware of true poverty. The AmeriCares van would pull up to a side street, and just open up an empty garage and set up their work area right there. Women would then line up to wait to speak to the doctor. First they would explain their pain, next get their blood pressure and weight, and then they would be allowed to go into the van to speak with the doctor. Looking at this process from the American standpoint, one would say that it was disorganized but these people were getting the help they need, and if AmeriCares didn’t do it: Who would?
In the beginning I was nervous thinking about what the citizens would think of us, we stood out like a sore thumb, and as a result we got endless stares. But after a while, with a few smiles and hellos here and there, they finally warmed up to us, especially the younger ones. Little girls and boys would ask us our names; sadly because of the language barrier there was not much that we could communicate with one another. They loved taking pictures with us, and talking about Bollywood. It was heart-warming to see smiles on their faces. Later when getting back on the bus, we saw children using the bathroom outside, in the middle of the streets- beside trash, filth and animals with who knows what diseases. Also as a side note yesterday was the start of Ramadan for the Muslim faith. Which led to the question of their interaction with Hindus. We found out that though they live together, but there is sometimes violence between the Hindus and Muslims.
This was truly an experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life, and this was only Day 2!
I’ve gotten a few questions from friends and family (please keep them coming):
The Weather: Honestly anything is better than DC humidity and heat in my opinion. Yeah it’s monsoon season but heavy rain only last for a few minutes and when it’s over there’s a nice breeze. Places with AC blast it so the long sleeves have actually come in handy; also with the bugs.
The Traffic: whoever has complained about traffic before…COME TO INDIA! A commute to work can take around 2 hours here!
Courtnay
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