First off – Today has been my favorite day.
The morning started off with an early bus ride to a rural region in the Thane district. We had the pleasure of having Mrs. Neelam from IMPACT India accompany us today. She provided an extensive background on the projects IMPACT India is apart of and an introduction to the tribal community we were visiting.
IMPACT India is apart of many projects, and the one main one that struck out to me was the medical service/hospital train - Lifeline Express - also known as "the magic (jadoo) train". This is the worlds first hospital train. How amazing is that!? A developing nation being the first to bring this type of innovation to life! GO INDIA.
A little bit about the train - The train travels all year long and reaches 12 cities each to serve the tribal people in undeserved and poverty stricken rural regions of India. As I was listening to Neelam explain the train and the services it provides, the amount of staff, supplies, organization, funding, planning it requires, I was VERY impressed. The train provides medical, educational, and preventative services to the tribal people in various regions every year. I never knew facilities like this existed, and came to find out there are similar ones all over the world. This type of innovative programs reach hundreds of people in rural difficult to reach areas.
My passion lies in the combination of clinical services and preventative measures for under served populations. The lifeline Express train is a prime example of something I would like to be apart of in the future. They are providing services to a community that has been shunned, and regarded as non-existent and bellow the traditional Indian caste system. Neelam addressed the fact that many clinicians from India as well as all over the world come and ride the train for 2-3 weeks. Along with clinicians, the train requires a volunteer staff, training students and many additional workers to maintain all aspects of the program.
We visited many sites today, and another IMPACT India project that stuck out to me was the tribal school. We were greeted by a classroom full of lively young girls between the ages of 12-18. They were so happy to see us, and I was very happy to see them as well. The girls sang us a beautiful welcoming song and all I could think about was that they were just children. Innocent, and eager to be filled with opportunities, knowledge, and experiences that could drastically change their lives. Assuming they had never left the rural regions of Thane, were they aware of what lies beyond their community? One of the girls told us she wanted to be a doctor, and reality hit when Neelam immediately told us that will never happen for her. The potential I saw in those girls today was devastating, and potential is not something to be devastated about.
Now that I think about it, today may have been the first time they have ever seen people that looked different than them - since majority of our group is Caucasian. They were amazed by our size. As we handed them their vitamin and iron supplements I felt the same way about them, they were quite small.
Today was the best day, and yet I am sitting here confused and sad. How can every child all over the world be born at the same starting line, same opportunities, and same potential? Is this even possible?
Goodnight Mumbai.
- Rashi
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