An intervention for two decades & more in villages and slums
I always go back by almost a quarter of a century to remember what prompted me to change a career from running a business for profit to something more responsible and gratifying to my inner self. Even today, I feel emotionally connected with the women and children of the urban slums and villages surrounding Delhi, Haryana, and Rajasthan. They added unique perspectives to my thought process of designing programs (s) for addressing different social issues at the grassroots level.
Policymakers in India initiated several programs that have been undertaken since its independence to bring about positive change in the health of the citizens of India. A considerable amount of money has been spent to provide quality health services to the country’s rural population. However, there is still a large proportion of the rural population deprived of it.
My long association working with peri-urban slums and villages started in 2001 when Sukarya began directly implementing its health care program in the cluster of villages in Taoru and Nuh blocks with a total population of more than 50,000. One of the essential learnings of our first-hand experience working on health and reproductive rights issues in communities of Rajasthan and Haryana was the criticality of viewing efforts at improving women’s health as closely entwined with more significant issues the social and economic backwardness of women in traditionally male-dominated societies.
As we all know, poverty and health are connected. The accessibility of health, among other social resources, is conditioned by several other economic, social, and cultural determinants. Women in rural areas have little control over their lives. They have little power to take part in decision-making in family matters. They depend on male family members in almost every sphere of their lives, including their health. In part, women’s low status in the family and lack of decision-making power can be ascribed to her almost complete economic and social dependency on men.
As a grassroots-level NGO, we always collaborate with government agencies, village heads, community leaders, and Anganwadi and Asha workers but depend on support from individual donors, foundations, and corporations. We always undertake projects for at least three years to make them impact-oriented. Given an opportunity with the consistent backing from businesses and Corporations as part of their CSR, Sukarya has expanded its outreach to more significant marginalized populations with its programs and services on Maternal Child Health & Nutrition, Gender Equality, and Economic Empowerment rural women through women self-help groups.
The projects we are currently running are as follows:
· We continue with our missions to fight against the prevalence of anemia and malnutrition for mothers, children, and adolescent girls.
· Gender Equality Program is an intervention for adolescent girls, giving them their voice. The program educates them with basic digital skills, enhancing their abilities and employability. In addition, it enables them to understand gender discrimination, social stigma, issues, and challenges that include early child marriages and early motherhood, and physical abuse.
· Education on Wheels program brings school to the slum children providing them with non-formal education and preparing them for formal schooling through the National Open School System of the govt of India.
· Economic Empowerment of Rural women through women self-help groups building entrepreneurship.
I remain personally involved in all the on-the-ground activities. My interaction with thousands of women was exhilarating. It gives me immense satisfaction to know that we can fight for mothers and children to keep them safe. It is gratifying to see the slum children who moved around aimlessly and have been given primary education be mainstreamed. It is enthralling to see adolescent girls being able to have a voice of their own.
Charity always focuses on eliminating the suffering caused by social problems. Most of the problems and issues are global and are present in many countries and communities. Indian society, in general, believes in religious charities much more than making any philanthropic contribution to improve the wellbeing of humankind by preventing and solving relevant social issues. Religious donations, it seems, provide a much shorter route to salvation than doing good for others. Bringing in changes to the thought process of people around me with a rigid mindset seemed almost impossible. Moreover, the general distrust of non-profits because of misused money makes fundraising through donation a challenge.
But giving is not just about donating; it is about making a difference. So, each of us can make a difference where there is a need worldwide.
