DEVELOPING INDIGENOUS RESOURCES - INDIA

Summary of Activities

August 2010

 

THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH:

I make a fortune from criticizing the policy of the government, and then hand it over to the government in taxes to keep it going………… George Bernard Shaw

 

 

CONTENTS

 

A.    ASSISTANT DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

B.    C.A.S.E. PROJECT

C.     NUTRITION

D.    MOTHER’S HEALTH

E.     IMMUNIZATION PROGRAMME

F.     D.O.T.S.

G.    INCOME GENERATION

H.    EDUCATION

I.      PERSONNEL


 

A.    ASSISTANT DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

(Gurpreet Singh)

 

Human nature is such, that while good examples get ignored by a number of people, one bad incident has its impact on almost everyone. As I expressed my fear in last month’s report, incidence of death of Bulbul’s child because of unassisted delivery at Government Hospital in Chandigarh, has brought fears in the mind of bustee people. This is evident from the fact, that out of twenty three bustee women, who delivered their babies during this month, five delivered at their own homes. To add upon the tragedy of bustee people, there are some other beautifully written schemes by the government, to benefit the poor especially women and children, which still await proper implementation. Though DIR-I is striving to help the disadvantaged people living in slums, we would require some cooperation from the State as well.

The good thing is that the State is finally recognising DIR-I’s effort in uplifting health of people in bustees. Some medical officers of the state are in talk with us and want us to get involved in some more health projects for the people living in slums. DIR-I’s names is being recommended to the government as its partner to provide health facilities in some particular areas. Details of the projects, DIR-I may be involved in, are yet to be decided. We hope along with this recognition, also come some funds, which would help us to expand our territory of work, so that more people can benefit from DIR-I’s programs.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms. Marilyn, a Canadian photojournalist from France for providing us photographs she clicked during her recent visit to bustee, and also for the way she is publicizing our work, and helping raise funds.. Some of those photographs appear in this report.

 

B.    C.A.S.E. PROJECT

(Dr. Gurpreet Singh – Assistant Director)

 

In the early half of the month, CASE children continued exhibiting street plays through out the bustee. These street plays were performed for forty days in the months of July and August, and a total of one hundred and ten presentations were made at different locations in the bustee. Personal hygiene, diarrheal diseases, mosquitoes borne diseases, balanced diet and breast feeding, were the subjects these plays were written on. The motive of the exercise was to spread the health messages to people in a way, which they would enjoy. Enthusiasm amongst children performing these plays and readiness amongst local people to be an audience to these events was appreciable.

In the latter half of the month, CASE participants, focused on the malnourished and underweight children assigned to them. They visited the families of the children to tell them the dos and don’ts which need to be followed to improve health of their children. The GEM (Goal – Eradicate Malnutrition) competition ended with the end of this month. In early part of September, malnourished children assigned to CASE participants will be weighed to find out how much weight they have gained in the past four months of competition. The CASE participants who were able to bring greatest increase in weights of children assigned to him/ her, will win the competition. First ten such CASE participants will get a prize each and the CASE team who would collectively perform better than other teams will also receive prizes for all its members.

CASE participants with three Health Promoters after performing a street play.

 

C. NUTRITION

(Ms. Natasha Bhardwaj – DIR-I Nutritionists)

 

In regular nutrition classes for Health Promoters at field office, a review on the basics of nutrition was made during the month of August. Topics such as nutrients, meal planning, breast feeding, its advantages to both the child and mother, introduction of weaning foods and its benefits, were reviewed in these classes. A test to check the knowledge of our HPs in nutrition was also conducted, in which most of our Health Promoters proved our confidence in them to be true.

In our effort to aware people of low cost nutritious recepies, cooking demonstration of vegetable idli was given in various streets throughout Janta Colony and Adarsh Nagar. Vegetable idli is made of the locally available ingredients, curd, semolina, seasonal vegetables such as carrot, spinach, onion, tomato, lemon, curry leaves, etc. Curd, semolina and curry leaves are good sources of calcium, protein and calories, while seasonal vegetables are rich in iron, vitamin A and C, calcium and phosphorous, making this recipe highly nutritious. Ms. Natasha giving a cooking demonstration to Health Promoters.

 

D. MOTHERS’ HEALTH

(Ms. Meena Kumari– Senior Health Promoter)

Pregnancies

On the 1st of August, there were 123 pregnant women in Janta colony and Adarsh Nagar. Of these, twenty three women delivered their babies during the month. Though twelve pregnant women shifted their residence permanently from the colony, twenty nine new pregnancies were reported. This makes the total number of pregnant women in the program to 117 by the end of August. All the twenty three women who delivered had had three or more Antenatal check-ups.

Deliveries

Out of twenty three women who delivered this month, fifteen delivered in the Government Hospital, Sector-16 and one in Post Graduate Institution of Medical Education and Research, one in Government Hospital Sector 22 and five others at their own home. Of the newborns, fourteen are baby boys and nine are baby girls. All the twenty three deliveries were assisted by qualified professionals.

 

E. IMMUNIZATION PROGRAMME

(Mrs. Veena Rani – Senior Health Promoter)

 

In the month of August, DIR-I participated four times in the government-run immunization programme, on 2nd, 9th, 16th and 23rd days of the month. A total of 179 shots were administered to the children, details of which are as follows:

a) Measles - 21  b) BCG - 5             c) DT - 8 d) DPT Booster - 18

SHOTS

1st Dose

2nd Dose

3rd Dose

Hepatitis B

21

19

20

DPT

11

17

19

TT

12

7

-        

Aside from these, a total of 29 children were given a supplemental dose of Vitamin A and 1 ten year old child was given Tetanus Toxoid vaccine.

Bustee women waiting for their turn at DIR-I bustee office with their children at an immunization day.

 

F. D.O.T.S.

(Mr. Sunny Bighania – Field Co-ordinator)

 

On the 1st of August, fourteen 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 of the patients, Mrs. Pooja completed her treatment and has got free of this dreaded disease. Meanwhile two more residents of the colony have been diagnosed having Tuberculosis; they started their treatment at our DOTS centre. This brings the total number of patients currently being served to fifteen.

Following is the distribution of these patients in different categories with a brief description of what each means:

·      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 13 patients in this category

·       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 or those who had not been cured even after completing a full prescribed course are included in Category II. This month we have only 2 patients in this category. A patient collecting her medicine from DOTS centre at our office.

G.   INCOME GENERATION

 

a.     Paper Bags

(Mr. I.B.S.Pannu - Administrator)

In the month of August, a total of Rs. 1381 were realized from the sale of paper bags, made of old news papers by bustee women. Rs. 1210 off this money was passed on to the women who made the bags and DIR-I earned Rs. 171 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 is 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

100

Rs. 5

500

Rs. 6

600

2

No. 3 Big Size

71

Rs. 10

710

Rs. 11

781

4

Total

 

 

1210

 

1381

 

 

b.     Skills Training

(Ms. Natasha Bhardawaj)

Ten bustee women are learning stitching in DIR bustee office, at present. Old students who have matured in terms of skills they have acquired so far, are being replaced by new students. During the month of August, nine bustee women made a total of one hundred fifty six wine bags along with ten champagne bags.. Women also earned money making a total of 12 string purses.

 

A women displaying the wine bags she made, while Ms. Natasha is inspecting her work.

 

 

 

H. EDUCATION

(Mrs. Sunita Sharma – Head Teacher)

Mrs. Hem Lata, a new teacher joined our school this month in place of Mrs. Susham Lata, who is on three months long sick leave. With a motive to provide quality education to children in the slum, our school is providing quality education to 113 students, who are attending our school regularly. With five well qualified teachers employed with the school, we are trying to nurture bustee children in the best possible manner.

Along with education, social activities are also conducted from time to time. This month, two such events took place. On 13th August Independence Day and Birthdays of children were celebrated. Cookies and cake were distributed amongst children on the events. On 23rd August we celebrated Raksha Bandhan with our children. Raksha Bandhan is the festival, in which sisters tie wrist bands on their brothers’ arms and brothers in turn give sisters a present along with an unsaid promise to protect their sisters from any trouble. On this day our teachers tied these bands on the wrists of all students. Children celebrating Birthday and Independence day in ‘School With a Difference’.

 

I.    PERSONNEL ACTIVITY

(I.B.S.Pannu - Administrator)

Changes:

1.     Mrs. Deepa resigned from school maid job w.e.f 16th August on health grounds.

2.     Ms. Sukhwinder kaur, a student of Post Graduate Diploma in Child Development, completed three months’ employment with DIR and left on 23.8.10. We wish her good luck for future.

3.     Mrs. Hemanti joined as new maid in the school with effect from 18th August.

4.     Mrs. Hema Verma joined as a teacher with DIR-I’s ‘School With a Difference’, with effect from 23rd August.

5.     Mrs. Anita Uniyal joined DIR-I as a Health Promoter on 16th August and is on probation for 4 month.   

 

Visitors:

1. Ms. Marilyn Smith, a Photojournalist, visited bustee on 2nd August. She was here to shoot some photographs in the bustee. She decided to stay with one of our Senior Health Promoter Veena Rani, at her place in bustee so as to have more deep understanding and knowledge of bustee and its residents. She stayed with us for ten days.

2. Dr. Gurpreet Singh, District Tuberculosis Officer, Mohali visited our bustee office along with his team on 30th August for discussion on DIR-I’s participation in health programs.

 

Absences:

Name

Paid Leave

Unpaid Leave

# Days

Dates

# Days

Dates

Dr. Gurpreet (Assistant Director/Physician)

0.5

Half day off on 27th.

 

 

Mr. Pannu (Administrator)

3.5

3, 6, 17 and a half day off on 20th.

 

 

Ms. Natasha (Nutritionist)

2.5

Half day off on 5th and full days off on 30th and 31st.

 

 

Mr. Sunny (Field Coordinator)

1

Two half days off on 2nd and 6th.

 

 

Ms. Anita Uniyal

 

 

1

26th.

Ms. Meena (SHP)

1

19th.

 

 

Mrs. Veena (SHP)

3

Two half days off on 10th and 26th and two full days off on 23rd and 24th.

 

 

Mrs. Banita (HP)

2.5

Half day off on 26th and two full days off on 24th and 27th.

 

 

Ms. Meenakshi

4

5th, 6th, 9th and 10th.

 

 

Mrs. Maya (HP)

0.5

10th August.

 

 

Mr. Sunil (HP)

2

Half day off on 16th and 24th and full day off on 25th August.

 

 

Ms. Pooja (HP)

1

17th August.

 

 

Ms. Seema Kohli (HP)

1.5

Half day off on 2nd and full day off on 30th august.

 

 

Mrs. Sushma (HP)

2

Second half days off on 2nd and 12th and full day off on 25th August.

 

 

Mrs. Sunita Sharma (School Teacher)

5.5

3rd, 25th, 27th, 30th, 31st and a half day off on 24th day.

 

 

Mrs. Susham Lata

(School Teacher)

22

 

 

Full month.