Tuesday, July 31, 2012
“We are in
the business of heroes.” It is not
everyday you hear a line like this, but these were the exact words I heard on
my first full day in India. After more
than 48 hours of being rerouted on planes, I landed in the long-awaited
destination of Mumbai, where the rest of my classmates were waiting with wide
smiles, open minds and an eagerness you only see on the faces of those visiting
a new and unknown place. Yes, it was
Tuesday morning, and after applying for this trip more than 6 months ago and
taking several weeks of classes in D.C., we were all ready to learn about
social entrepreneurship at ground zero.
So back to
what I was saying: all that business about heroes. In the U.S., we tend to think about heroes in
the form of the newest comic book character or action figure to hit the big
screen. Last month Spiderman, this month
Batman. Flashing lights, spandex suits,
and let us not forget superhuman powers.
These are the types of fictional heroes generated through popular
culture, who gain recognition and appeal at mass levels. But here in the nonprofit sector of India, we
are learning about a new kind of hero.
One you do not see plastered on a billboard the size of a mountain or
hinged at the center of a multimillion-dollar industry. In a city with more than 9 million
individuals living in slums, today’s heroes in Mumbai are those individuals
working to create sustainable social change and eradicate poverty at the
grassroots level.
If they are
not local farmers working to produce honey to raise money within their
communities, they may be select individuals with innovative ideas for social
entrepreneurship. Be! Fund is one of the
nonprofit organizations we met with during our first full day in India, using a
media platform to reach people throughout different communities in Mumbai. Be! Fund seeks individuals with fresh ideas
to spur social business development within their own communities, based on
personal experiences and observations. This
organization runs on the theory that such individuals are the most aware of
pertinent issues within their communities, and the most knowledgeable about
ways to solve rising problems with available resources. In this sense, Be! Fund is in the business of
heroes.
Another organization
we met with is called Under the Mango Tree, a nonprofit organization following
the idea of “Bees for Poverty Reduction.”
Local farmers are able to participate in farming cooperatives, and
through the program are able to increase their annual incomes
substantially.
This initiative
establishes a buyback arrangement for the honey that is produced, and Under the
Mango Tree sells organic honey produced by local Indian farmers.
Bees are a local, natural resource, and
producing honey is not detrimental to the environment.
Under the Mango Tree runs a program using
available resources to spur local income among farmers in order to create
social entrepreneurship.
In addition to
involving local farmers, Under the Mango Tree aims to incorporate community-training
programs to expand the business skills of individuals within the community for
sustainable development and business expansion.
The third
organization we met with, called ATMA, works in the educational arena to
partner with and strengthen already existing nonprofits and impact the
system. ATMA currently relies on
word-of-mouth strategies to recruit partner organizations, emphasizing the fact
that an organization’s credibility and reputation are important elements of the
nonprofit sector. This is especially
true in India, where over 3 million nonprofit organizations are all working
throughout the country on a wide array of social, economic and political
issues. In its role, ATMA highlights the
need for cooperation and communication among these separate entities,
especially in the realms of health and education.
Among the
three organizations we met with this day, it was apparent all were seeking
innovative business incentives with ideals of community development in
mind. It was really interesting and
inspiring to meet the unique representatives who took the time to come and
speak with us about their organizations, and how they became involved in their
work in the nonprofit sector. It was even
more interesting to note all of these individuals were women of various
ages. Many of them recognized a need for
social change at some point in their lives, either earlier or later, and
decided to become part of this movement.
As the
population in Mumbai soars, the government can only do so much. This is why the nonprofit sector is so
important to provide assistance and instigate sustainable community development
where the government and private sector fall short. Whether they are the local individuals
creating change within their communities or the staff members working at
nonprofit organizations supporting social development, it is apparent that
heroes come in many forms.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Today we
went to visit an organization called AmeriCares, working to improve the
healthcare system throughout Mumbai’s slums.
After meeting in the headquarters, we were split into several teams and
assigned different sections of a particular slum to map out. This may seem like an simple task, but when
most streets are not clearly identified, and the only thing you are working
with is a satellite image of the area, the task can be somewhat
meticulous. As the map drawer, I was
assigned the job of drawing out the different streets and marking off the
number of homes, shops and other landmarks, as well as the number of footsteps
in between each lane. Other members of
my group had the arduous task of counting out these footsteps and
doorways.
At first it
seemed like we would be able to get this done in a snap, but as we turned more
corners, things began to look the same.
Had we been here before? Was that
yellow building the same one I passed 5 minutes ago? How do people who live in this community
remember their way around, I wondered as I watched children running through the
streets without a second thought in regards to direction. These were all questions that began to fill
my head as the temperature rose and our map looked more and more complicated. Luckily, we had several members of the
AmeriCares team by our side to help direct us, and who had obviously done this
before, as one of the major goals of the organization is to map out the entire
community in this manner for efficient health care access and
mobilization. If not for these
individuals, I fear I would have been lost within minutes.
Towards the
end of the mapping exercise, one of the AmeriCares team members introduced us
to a gentleman.
She said he was one of
the AmeriCares community workers, and that he usually does these types of
mapping exercises on his own.
This
really put into perspective how important community involvement is in the work
of nonprofit organizations, as these individuals know the areas well and can
complete these tasks with efficiency and skill.
AmeriCares is a multifaceted organization generating social change at
the community level, but this work would not be possible without the
cooperation and involvement of the local members of the community the
organization is working in.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Dharavi.
For weeks
we have been discussing visiting the most populated slum in India,
Dharavi. Sometimes you hear about things
ahead of time or see images through the media, and you think you are prepared
for what lies ahead. This was the same
slum where potions of the popular movie “Slumdog Millionaire” were filmed. We knew it would be crowded. We knew it would be dirty. As much as you try though, nothing can
prepare you for the real life image of the poverty in Dharavi that exists in
mass.
We got an
early start to the day and headed over to the hospital on the outskirts of the
slum, where an organization titled SNEHA operates out of in part. SNEHA stands for the Society for Nutrition,
Education and Health Action: Healthy Women and Children for a Healthy Urban
World. Once again, I was moved by the
men and women involved in this organization, and the high level of commitment
they possess for social change and health promotion. SNEHA aims to empower and
educate women and children in order to improve health outcomes throughout the
community.
One program
in particular stuck out to me, centered on reducing the occurrence of domestic
violence throughout the slum. Raising
the issue of violence and empowering women to stand against it is one of the
main drives within this program. It was
disheartening to learn how isolated women become by all members of their
community when they stand against domestic abuse. We were able to actually go into Dharavi and
meet with peer educators trained to counsel women and support them in their
stance against violence. Once again, it
was inspiring to see both men and women, without much formal education, working
as peer educators, and to witness their compassion and motivation to lower
rates of abuse within their own communities.
While
walking through Dharavi, I became increasingly aware of the number of people
living in the slum. The narrow and busy
walkways gave way to countless shops and a seemingly endless number of doorways
leading into crowded homes. It almost
felt as though we were traveling through a maze, and if I lost my group, I
would have no idea how to get back to the hospital. Walking through the slum highlighted the lack
of governmental involvement in the area, and need for nonprofits, such as
SHEHA, to work towards community development.
Although conditions in the slum are harsh, it was also inspiring to hear
stories of individuals helping their neighbors within the community in regards
to child and financial support. Stories
like these remind us that organizations like SHENHA are working to improve
conditions in areas where people have the incentive, yet are struggling to
support one another.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Today we
were able to do some sightseeing at these ancient caves called the Elephanta
Caves. Before coming to India, people
continually mentioned to me how spiritual the country is, but until I was
standing before the massive sculptures carved into the walls of the caves, I
was not truly aware of how important religion was and continues to be in this
country. The caves were dark and damp,
but not frightening. It was quite an
experience to stand in such an old space and take in all the history, as the
tour guide narrated stories to us about the various Indian gods and how
Portuguese colonists decimated the caves centuries ago.
In order to
reach the caves, we had to walk up several staircases through an outdoor
market. Monkeys were running above us,
besides us and below us. I was able to
purchase a painting that contains bright colors, as though it appeared out of a
dream. At the bottom of the stairs, my
friend was eating some grilled corn on the cob until a cow came up from behind and
surprised her. She immediately threw the
corn on the ground, and from that moment on, the corn belonged to the cow and
monkeys weaving between stands in the market.
This evening,
we were invited to attend dinner at our trip coordinator’s house. Netra’s entire family was extremely
hospitable and setup the open porch for our entire group. Her sister is a professional dancer in India,
and some of the girls put on a performance for us. It was a wonderful experience, as each dance
told a story about Indian religion and culture.
At the end of the performance, we were invited to join in the dancing,
which was fantastic. We danced around in
a large circle, laughing and throwing our hands up in the air to traditional
Indian music. Even Dr. Vyas and Dr.
Parrish joined in. If nothing else, I
noticed how reinvigorated all the girls seemed tonight based on the smiles and
funky dance moves they produced.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Seven AM,
we meet in the lobby and board the bus.
It’s time to go. The mindset of
today: Let’s do this. We are venturing into rural India for the
first time on this trip, and spirits are high.
More importantly, we get to meet with members from Impact India, an
organization working to improve health care delivery and health outcomes in
rural villages outside of Mumbai. The
information session begins as we hit the road, with a question and answer
session on the bus. With 5 sites to
visit in one day, there is literally no time to waste.
Among the
places we visited, the site that stuck out to me the most was the first school
we stopped in. Inside, we witnessed the
children carrying out an activity aimed to improve health and sanitation among
classmates. The children have been
allowed to elect their own health monitors amongst themselves; one for the
girls and one for the boys. The health
monitor, in turn, runs physical and audial evaluations of their classmates
regarding appearance, doctor visits, etc.
The children seemed to be taking this activity extremely seriously, as
the monitor checked fingernails, ears and asked questions about health outside
of school, and kept a log of all information collected. Not only was the activity allowing the
children to manage control of their own health, it was also teaching them about
an important political process, as they were able to choose their own health
monitors, who then chose their own assistants.
It appeared to be a very effective educational tool to promote health
and leadership within a school.
Another
stop we made was to visit a community meeting for women surrounding health and
other issues. Although the women were a
bit shy to speak out, it was really interesting to see how many voluntarily
attended this monthly meeting, and how they seemed to regard health as an
important aspect of their lives. It was
noted that men are not usually invited to such meetings because women’s health
is such broad topic for discussion. The
fact that these female attendees would not open up around us made it clear they
may not be as candid as they are alone if men did attend these meetings. Either way, it was noteworthy to recognize
the role women play in maintaining their own health and that of their children
at a community level, and their commitment to do so.
As the rain
came down, we pulled up to our last stop: a rural clinic. We were able to take a brief tour of the
facility, and then sit down and have an informational session with one of the
doctors who work there. As it turns out,
the doctor we met in one of two who lives on the grounds 24 hours per day, and
helps to serve thousands of patients annually.
As the government subsidizes this particular clinic, patients only have
to pay 5 rupees per general visit. Many
women from the area come to this clinic to have their babies delivered. It was somewhat daunting to see the
relatively small size of the clinic in relation to the number of patients it
serves. This seems to be the norm
though, as I have been able to visit rural clinics in South Africa and
Nicaragua, and I am always surprised by their size relative to patients served.
As the day
wrapped, up, it was clear that we had just witnessed public health in action. As a student, it is can be easy to lose sight
of why you became involved in a certain field if you spend all of your time
buried in books in the library. Coming
to India so far has reminded me of the role public health plays in the lives of
an enormous amount of people. Seeing
these kinds of efforts in person revitalizes the notion that public health,
whether it is epidemiology or child and maternal health, has the potential to
improve the world through a community-oriented approach. In order to continue working in this field,
it is critical to ascertain the idea helping one person can generate an
enormous impact. This is where public
health intervenes with social entrepreneurship.
Through innovative programs equipped with peer education, the potential
exists to create economic development and improve health outcomes throughout an
entire community.
