Invest in Medical Care Training for 30 Odian Youth

Dear GlobeMed Friends and Family, 

As the autumn months fly by and the fall semester comes to a close, we reflect on all of the stories shared, experiences made, and advocacy accomplished since summer. 

With our GROW (Grassroots On-Site Work) interns coming back to school, bags packed with expressive narratives, formative experiences, and a rejuvenated passion for SOVA’s mission to promote health equity particularly for women and children in Odisha, the whole Chapter was titillating with excitement. Over the course of three weeks, five students from our GlobeMed Chapter visited our friends at SOVA in Odisha, India to reaffirm our relationship with our partner, discuss the efficacy of the project and partnership, and participate in an immersive and mutualistic cultural exchange. When they arrived back home, the information they collected about the various SOVA programs was immediately synthesized into a presentation and presented to the whole Chapter, so that everyone could garner the knowledge about the pervasive and effective work that SOVA conducts around Odisha.

One of the events that kickstarted the semester was called SOVA and Samosas, an awareness campaign and event complete with performances from on-campus clubs and individual recollections of the GROW Intern’s experiences during the trip. Below are some of these accounts:

“My favorite experience was when we got to visit the headquarters of one of the SOVA Dhenkanal Self-Help Groups, or SHGs, that strive to empower women in local communities by providing resources and a platform for them to both become confident and economically independent through microloans with minimal interest rates and other community outreach programs. This particular SHG trained women in the art of incense-making so that they could make extra money to be self-sufficient, which bettered relations in their home lives – especially in combatting domestic violence and enabling their children to complete higher education. The best part was when we got to the meet the inspiring woman, Jangyeoseni, who founded the program.” – GROW 2018 Intern

“One part of the trip that I particularly enjoyed was our discussions with our SOVA translator and guide, Prasanta. I felt that we learned so much from the often jovial, informal conversations we had about marriage, women’s rights, and maternal and adolescent health. While we asked Prasanta questions about these topics, he also asked us about what we had experienced in America, which exemplified our goal of mutually learning about one another’s culture and appreciating both relatively.” – GROW 2018 Intern

“We interviewed a lot of community members, predominantly women, during our stay in Dhenkanal, and during each conversation, we made sure to ask the question, “What do you perceive is the best quality in a woman?” The spectrum of responses we received really resonated with us. While some women from the community noted “respect for one’s elders” and “responsibility for one’s family,” nearly all the women who had participated in SOVA’s General Duty Assistant Program had very different answers:

“Independence.”

“A passion for eliminating the evils of our society.”

“Strength.”

“Tolerance.”

I remember hearing these answers and feeling the words reverberate around my brain. I remember sitting back in my chair, feeling such a deep respect for these women, as well as a profound sense of gratitude to SOVA for the work that it does.” - GROW 2018 Intern 

As SOVA expands its reach outward to new communities and grows in its ability to create effective change at the grassroots level, we, GlobeMedders from the University of Rochester, can only observe in awe and respect for all that our partner accomplishes, as well as supplement their efforts as best we can.

Any funds we raise in reaching our year-long goal of $9000 will help to fund training for 30 youth to become patient care assistants, and sexual and reproductive health education for 500 young girls in 8 different villages around Dhenkanal. The impacts of these projects are endless, in not only increasing health equity for these populations, but also empowering these individuals in meaningful ways. In this journey we value your undying support, as your donation will directly spread the power of knowledge, education, and health to women and girls.

We thank you for your involvement in supporting our partner and our chapter. If you would like to learn more about our chapter of GlobeMed at the University of Rochester, about our GROW interns’ experience in Odisha, and about our unwavering passion and support for SOVA, please visit our website.

In Solidarity,

GlobeMed at the University of Rochester