HEALTH

Background

While working with the poor and marginalised, we realised that a big reason for poverty and indebtedness was poor health. A sick person loses many days of wages and a malnourished child misses many days of school. Poor nutrition and low basic health standards also cause low immunity to diseases, and high child and female mortality rates. Our health pillar came into being in order to take basic healthcare and hygiene services to the very poor.

Strategy

We run various health and hygiene awareness programmes. Medical camps headed by qualified doctors are held regularly in all villages where we are present. Serious cases are referred to the nearest government facility. We track children with malnutrition and provide them with micronutrient supplements.

• Our latest achievement is the paid community clinic run by doctors recruited by us. It is a successful model that we hope to recreate elsewhere.
• Our sanitation programme is a classic example of our integrated approach. We motivate village women who are in our self-help groups to build toilets in their homes. We then facilitate sanitation loans through the microfinance division. We clean and renovate kitchens and toilets in the government-run day-care centres (anganwadis).
• Awareness creation is a central part of our work. We recruit health mobilisers to motivate and mobilise the community. We also conduct health, hygiene, and sanitation camps.