Life Saving Treatment to Children in Rural India

Seva Mandir’s monthly Immunization Camp in Undithal village is held in a community hall which sits in the middle of fields lying below the Aravali hills. The camp is run by a nurse, Urmila, who provides antenatal care and advice for pregnant women, and immunization for both mothers and children. She also monitors babies’ growth and looks for cases of undernutrition, and will examine any children who are brought in with minor ailments.

One of the major clinical problems Urmila sees amongst pregnant women is anaemia, with haemoglobin levels well below the healthy level of 11. This is caused by insufficient iron in their diets, which also generally lack calcium.  The deficiency can usually be remedied with iron supplement tablets, but in severe cases – of which there are many – or if a woman’s blood sugar is too high, they have to be referred to hospital.

Many women do not take the advice seriously as they see no outward signs of the condition. In extreme cases, their iron levels are so low they need intravenous iron. When women are reluctant to take their supplements or go to the clinic at a nearby hospital, Urmila has a tactic she uses to convince them.  She says, ‘Go to get treatment now, or else when you deliver your baby you may need blood from two or three people.  Is that what you want?  If not, go to hospital now!’

Urmila, an auxiliary nurse midwife, has worked with Seva Mandir for over two years. She runs ten immunization camps a month in different villages. In between camps, she has to enter all the data she has collected, sharing it with the government health department and with Seva Mandir’s head office.

In addition to health records, details such as ID and bank account information are required, as there are various government schemes that give women money after the birth of their children.  The information is also needed so that pregnant women can be registered with the hospital where they are to give birth so that they can be admitted without delay when the time comes. Urmila says that collecting this data used to be quite a problem, but now women know that they need to bring the relevant information with them to the camps and it has become easier.

To ensure that all of our camps run efficiently, each nurse running an immunization camp must take a photograph of herself in front of the noticeboard for that clinic before and after the camp, proof that she has attended and completed the hours required.

Urmila says, ‘I enjoy my job. It brings me great satisfaction to know I am helping keep women and babies healthy. It’s important that I can go to my patients as they find it so difficult to get to healthcare centres outside their villages.’

We are immensely proud of the improvements which have been made in southern Rajasthan, and with great support from well-wishers like you we hope to reach even more people in need.

Thank you so much for your continued trust in us.

Regards

Atul Lekhra and the Seva Mandir Team

Follow us on www.facebook.com/sevamandir 

Links:

• Seva Mandir's Website
• Seva Mandir's Facebook Page

Let me start out by wishing you and your loved ones the season’s greetings.

Mall is one of the deprived villages of Southern Rajasthan where Seva Mandir works.  Access to quality health services is limited here because of the difficult terrain.

Ranjana & Azmal are a couple who live in Mall.  However, unlike most of their fellow villagers, they are both able to read and write.  Azmal is a farmer but also gives tuition to the children in his village in his spare time, while Ranjana looks after the family.

When they had their first child, they decided to get her fully vaccinated.  Azmal says : “Seva Mandir has been organizing immunization camps in my village for more than ten years.  Hence, we are aware of the importance of vaccines.  I have decided not to miss any vaccine needed for my child.”

Azmal and Ranjana have ensured that their baby girl receives timely vaccine shots and so have saved her from many deadly diseases such as polio, diphtheria, typhoid, measles and hepatitis. 

We hope that someday, each and every person where we work will be as aware of the importance of immunization as Azmal.

It is because of the support of well-wishers like you that we have been able to organize monthly immunization camps for children and pregnant women in the backward villages of Rajasthan. Each month, around 135 children and 110 pregnant women receive vaccine shots through these camps.

Let no child suffer due to the deadly diseases that could have easily been prevented through inexpensive vaccines!  We hope for your continued support in this mission.

I also wanted to tell you that we have been selected by the GlobalGiving Foundation to participate in its YEAR END CAMPAIGN!– a fundraising opportunity for nonprofits around the world.

In order to succeed, we must raise $3,000 from 30 donors by end of this month.

If we meet this threshold, we will be featured on GlobalGiving’s website and could earn bonus prizes from GlobalGiving for raising the most money.

Please help us reach the goal by making a donation.

We would love to hear from you.  Please do reach out to us at atul.lekhra@sevamandir.org

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

With warm wishes,

Atul Lekhra and the Seva Mandir Team

Follow us on www.facebook.com/sevamandir 

Links:

• Seva Mandir's Facebook Page