DEVELOPING INDIGENOUS RESOURCES - INDIA

 Summary of Activities

May  2011

 

THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH:  "The belief in the possibility of a short decisive war appears to be one of the most ancient and dangerous of human illusions."   Robert Lynn

 

CONTENTS   CEO's MESSAGE NUTRITION MOTHERS' HEALTH IMMUNIZATION PROGRAMME D.O.T.S. INCOME GENERATION EDUCATION H.    PERSONNEL

Our Health Promoters performing a Punjabi Folk Dance.

 

 

A.          CEO's MESSAGE

Frederick Shaw

      "The Heat has come upon us!" cried the Lady of Shallot.  Temperatures that are surely exaggerations have slowed us up, caused us to drink gallons of water to replace perspirational losses, and wonder where our productivity went.  Meanwhile the air-conditioner in my old Maruti sedan decides this is an ideal time to get my full attention by simulating dying from time to time.  ( In this, it was not disappointed.)

 

 

Photographs taken during our "Cultural Evening" held last month were not available when we last went to press. To give some idea of our events, four photos are included here.  In the first, our Health Promoters are performing a vigorous Punjabi folk dance, and in the last they are doing a Raghastani dance.  Another photo shows our Administrative Assistant, Sukhwinder, who is a gifted vocalist entertaining us.  The remaining picture is of a puppet production in which Oral Rehydration Therapy is taught.

 

To the readers of last month's report, who kindly gave advice on the problems I mentioned in my last "Message", please accept thanks.  The problems faced by the family I described are not over, but are being addressed.

 

As we put this Report together, I am submerged in work which is attempting to defeat my attempts to complete it before I leave for the US on 7^th June, Tuesday next.  The annual financial audit, which need be verified and submitted to the Government, is especially recalcitrant,  and a possible additional project slum site in Delhi has to get a rush visit, and – of course  -   multiple last-minute hassles accrue by the second.                                      

                                               B.    NUTRITION

(Ms. Natasha Bhardwaj – DIR-I Nutritionists)

During the month of May, a nutrition demonstration on Poha was given to the Health Promoters. This is a low cost nutritious recipe and is made using rice flakes, groundnut, peas, capsicum, onion, tomato, potato, curry leaves, oil and lemon as ingredients. The recipe is rich in Calories, Protein, Iron and Vitamin C.  Moreover, the ingredients used are low cost and easily available to bustee people.

This month, the topics covered in nutritional classes included: Protein, water soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, anaemia and diet in pregnancy. Most women in the bustee have some myths regarding diet and know very little about what sort of diet they should consume during the course of their pregnancy, so covering this topic was essential. The HPs were taught what other problems can arise due to the aforementioned conditions and how women can correct such problems by simply changing their diet while pregnant.

At the end of this month a nutrition exam was conducted to test the nutrition knowledge of HPs. Most achieved a high score.                                                 DIR nutritionist demonstrating the recipe for Poha                                                                                        

                                                                                                                  to Health Promoters.

                                       

 

 

         

                                   C.       MOTHERS' HEALTH

(Ms. Meena Kumari– Senior Health Promoter)

Pregnancies

On the 1^st of May, there were 140 pregnant women in Janta colony and Adarsh Nagar. Of these, eleven women delivered their babies during the month. Ten pregnant women shifted their residence permanently from the colony. Out of these 140 pregnant ladies, thirty two new pregnancies were reported during the month.  All the eleven women who delivered had three or more Antenatal check-ups.  

Deliveries

           Out of eleven women who delivered this month, Nine delivered in the Government Hospital, Sector-16. One delivered in GMC Hospital, Sector 32, and the last in Civil Hospital, Chandigarh. Of the newborns, five are baby boys and six are baby girls. All eleven deliveries were assisted by qualified professionals, and all mothers had their postnatal examinations within two days of delivery.

 

 

D.  IMMUNIZATION PROGRAMME

(Mrs. Veena Rani – Senior Health Promoter)

 

In the month of May, DIR-I participated four times in the government-run immunization programme: on the 4^th, 11^th, 18^th and 25^th of the month. A total of 145 shots were administered to the children, details of which are as follows:

(a) Measles – 24      (b) Measles Booster - 11       (c) BCG -3       (d) DT - 5       (e) DPT Booster   - 13

SHOTS	1st Dose	2nd Dose	3rd Dose
Hepatitis B	9	5	9
DPT	18	10	14
TT	13	11	-

 

In addition to these, 35 children were given a supplemental dose of Vitamin A.

                                                                                                                    

                  
          

Immunization day in the bustee

                                                                                                       

  

                                               

E.   D.O.T.S.

(Mr. Sunny Bighania – Senior Health Promoter)

 

On the 1^st of May, twelve tuberculosis patients were being served medicines at our bustee office through the government DOTS program run by DIR.  Our bustee office is an authorised DOTS centre, and patients from the vicinity get their supply of medicine from our office on a regular basis. During this month, one patient, completed his treatment and has become free from this dreaded disease. One more patient has been diagnosed having Tuberculosis this month, and has started medication from our centre.

 Following is the distribution of these patients in different categories and what each means:

á      Category I – All those new patients whose pulmonary smear is positive for Tuberculosis Bacilli or those whose pulmonary smear is negative but are seriously ill, or those who have extra pulmonary Tuberculosis but are seriously ill are   included in Category I. This month, we have 10 patients in this category. Out of these ten patients 4 are young females and six are male.

á        Category II – Those old Tuberculosis patients who had either defaulted from the treatment at an earlier stage and have re-started the treatment or those who have again contracted the disease after being cured once those who had not been cured even after completing a full prescribed course are included in Category II. This month we have 2 patients in this category.                                                                                                                             

 

F.    INCOME GENERATION

Ms. Sukhwinder Kaur, Administrative Assistant

a.     Paper Bags

 

In the month of May, a total of Rs 1349 was realized from the sale of paper bags, made of old news papers by bustee women. Rs.1175 of this money was passed on to the women who made the bags and DIR-I earned Rs. 174 out of the sale, which will partially pay for the expenses DIR had to bear for the sale of these bags.  Details of the sale and purchase of the bags are as follows:

 

S. No.	Paper Bag Size (bundles of 60 bags)	Quantity	Cost Rate (in Rupees)	Cost Price (in Rupees)	Sale Rate (in Rupees)	Sale Price (in Rupees)
1	No. 2 Small size	113	Rs. 5	565	Rs. 6	678
2	No. 3 Big Size	61	Rs. 10	610	Rs. 11	671
	TOTAL	174		1175		1349

 

b.     Skills Training

 

In the month of May, thirteen bustee women in the skill training program stitched a total of 196 bags which will serve as gift-wraps for bottles of wine, including 166 regular size and 30 (magnum) champagne bags.  The photo  below shows seven sample Janta Bags.  Twelve women are also coming to learn stitching in the DIR bustee office, where a stitching instructor helps them improve their skill. Additionally, a local volunteer, Jaspreet, who has a gift for public relations work, designed a new type of project for DIR.  In this, our first "trial balloon" was the making of 50 promotional give-away bags (pictured here) for a UK health care agency called Sure Care.  This gave our stitchers some work, and provided DIR with very welcome profit.   Because of the low cost of good cloth and also of labour in India, it seems logical that we can fill a niche for Western companies seeking promotional "give-aways" and so we hope to promote this activity in the future.

                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

G.   EDUCATION

(Ms. Sunita Sharma – Head Teacher)

'The new admissions still going on in our school . On 6^th May first Parent teacher meeting was held, where besides parents being informed about the performance of their wards, they were also urged to sent

  their wards to school at time.  Apart from this auction for second hand clothes, toys and shoes  held in school campus  in which school teachers  participated and DIR collected Rs. 535/-  from this auction.

 A little celebration was held on 27^th May for celebrating birthdays of  18 children who were born in the month of May and June. School closed on the same day on account of summer vacations and will reopen on 4th July.   Art workshop "Fun With Colours" was conducted twice in this month  by  the art teacher Mrs Jaskanwal  who worked voluntarily with DIR .                                                                                      SWAD KIDS PARTICIPATED IN ART WORKSHOP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

F.         PERSONNEL ACTIVITY

(Ms.Natasha Bhardwaj - Nutritionist)

Visitors:

1.     Ms.Jasleen and Mr. Arun From Day and Night channel visited bustee and shoot a documentary film.

2.  Dr. Nivedita , an eye specialist visited bustee and were going on field visit with sushma.

3. Mrs Raman Mann  visited bustee , impressed with our work and wants to set up same project in her village kathgarh.

Changes: 1.Ms. Shanti, a Health Promoter resigned with effect from 30^th May 2011, due to her poor health.  We wish her better health and happiness.

2. Ms. Sara Bartsch, from Canada, joined DIR-I as intern from University of Frazer Valley and plans to be here until 30^th July.

3. Dr Kanika,  separated from DIR on 30 th April 2011 and is now having a private medical practice.

 

Absences:

Name	Paid Leave		Unpaid Leave
	# Days	Dates	# Days	Dates
Ms.Sarita(HP)	6	Full day 0ff on 2nd ,4th ,5th ,6th ,12th ,13th  of  May 2011
Ms. Meenakshi(HP)	1	Full day off on 27th  of  May 2011
Mr. Sunny(field coordinator)	3.5	Half day on 13th and full day off on 19th ,18th ,23rd of this month.
Mrs.Maya (HP)	1.5	Half day 12th and full day of 24 of the month.
Ms. Sangeeta (HP)	13	Full day off on 2nd,3rd,5th,6th,9th, 10th,23rd, 24th ,25th,26th,27th,30th,31st  of the month.	12	2nd,3rd,5th,6th,9th,10th,23rd,24th25,26th,27th,30th,31st.
Mr. Sunil Vidla (HP)		Full day off on 2nd,4ht,30th  of the month.	1	30th May
Mrs. Sushma (HP)	1	Fhalf day off 18thand 27th on of the month of May.
Ms. Shanti(HP)	13	Full day off on 9th,10th,17th,18th,19th,120th,23rd,24th,25th,26th,27th,30th31.of the month of May.	1	31st of the May.
Mr. Sanjeev(HP)	2	Full day off on 16th 23rd  of the month.
Mrs. Krishna  Devi	2	4th,16th of the month.
Mrs. Meenakshi Chauhan	1	Full day off on 23 of the month.
Mrs. Veena(Senior HP)	3	Full day off on 6th ,25th, 26th of this month
Ms. Natasha	1.5	Full day off on 10th and halh day off on 24th of May2011.
Ms. Sukhwinder	1	Full day off on 27th of May2011.
Mr. Manoj(HP)	half	Half day off on 25th of the month.
Ms. Rani(HP)	2.5	Full day of on 5th,6th and half day off on 9th of the month.
Mrs. Lata(HP)	2	Full day off on 26th and 27th of the May 2011.