28.03.2009
India is a country of stark contrasts: the globally acclaimed economic growth is in sharp juxtaposition to the tardy progress in human idices. This finds us in the nations capital. A kaleidoscope of colours, smells and sounds the ultimate vibrant feast for the eyes, ears and nose! Delhi is testimony to the fecundity of the country, a melange of religion and caste, a heaving mass of humanity cohabitating in a city that incidentally has a wealth of 'green' and the second highest number of bird species for any city worldwide (over 425 species, the first is Nairobi with 500). The city is a celebration of life in its many facets. However, the very dichotomy that is Delhi has previously had tomes written on its very essence, so I shall refrain from adding more....
The many faces of poverty are a harsh reminder that I live in a country that has more malnutrition cases than sub-saharan Africa, where poor nutrition leaves nearly 50% of children 'stunted' in growth and yet Delhi is the 'fattest' city in the nation with 30% of the population classified as overweight or obese! A country where a woman is raped every 35 minutes and - for example - if you are from Uttar Pradesh you have a 1 in 42 chance of dying in childbirth and were the average wage for a female labourer is 29 rupees (30 INR = $1 AUD). On a positive note: in the last five decades, the mortality rate has lowered by 50% and the fertility rate by 40 %.....These are the sort of rambling facts that cross my mind as I look out of the window to the world on the streets beyond.
This afternoon we ventured to a 'green leafy' suburb, the sort that the wealthy inhabit to innoculate themselves against the not so wealthy majority. Our quest? The Voluntary Health Association of India. Why? This will take a little longer to explain: during the measles epidemic we noticed the pernicious practice of covering your baby/child with every available item of clothing you can find and every blanket you can muster when the child has a 40 degree temperature. Other practices include not giving baby a drink when it has chronic diarrohea and not giving children nourishing food or failing to give them a wash for days on end when they are ill.
This was about the time it became evident just how dangerous supposedly 'traditional' practices are to the health of those concerned. We decided that with education maybe we could quell some 'baby killing' habits.
How to go about the issue? We have a copy of 'Where there is No Doctor'by David Werner, an informative book on basic health care practices and treatment of disease for use in developing countries. It was via the contents of this book that we had our first break through, when one family with a very sick baby took notice of the dangers of fever... when Kareena recovered quite rapidly there was intense interest amongst villagers in the book. When communities/people are kept informed and educated with 'practical' and concise information they are likely to take on advice. And to cut a long story short that is how we ended up at VHAI because they have the same edition of the book in Hindi - so we bought multiple copies - plus we were able to procure a plethora of health education materials in the relevant language.
The solution: EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION.
Bonnie
PEAK
