Gender Equality India Project #22899

Training Space for 600 Poor Girls in Mumbai

by Vacha Charitable Trust

Project Report | Nov 19, 2021
Health Camps: Addressing Healthcare Needs

By Steffi Fernando | Assistant Projects Director

Nurse taking a blood sample for Haemoglobin test

The ongoing effects of COVID 19 pandemic has been distressing. In a horrific manner, the pandemic has left the already unsteady healthcare systems of developing nations like ours, crumbling. Needless to say, it is the intersectionally deprived section that receives the bent of the crisis of civilizations. Even with the drop in Covid cases and relaxation of the lockdown, the ‘new normal’ comes with great apprehensions for the marginalized.

The needs of women and girls of a community are often overshadowed, especially in times of crisis. It is precisely why we were among the first organizations to include sanitary products in our Covid relief kits. Our engagements with intersectionally deprived girls for over three decades have helped us understand that one of the key concern areas for girls has been poor access to health facilities and nutrition. Hence, one of the primary interventions of Vacha has been towards weekly nutrition and health camps at regular intervals.

Similarly, this year we organised health camp in association with organizations working in the field of health and nutrition. This camp was conducted between the months of September and October when the Covid guidelines of physical distancing were relaxed. It was organised at 12 bastis (communities) and we were able to reach out to 843 participants, including 689 girls and 154 boys post consent from girls and their guardians. An all- women team consisting of 1 gynecologist, 2-3 nurses, 2-3 caretakers and 1 lab assistant set up the camp at our centres or adjoining community spaces in the bastis. The team registered the height and weight of our participants. Their blood samples were taken to check for their blood group and the level of Hemoglobin(Hb). Special arrangements were made for the girl participants to have proper appointment with the gynecologist. It was observed that many girls in the bastis were having trouble during menstruations. From severe cramps, heavy bleeding, irregular periods to signs of PCOS, the girls were able to put forward their problems. After proper consultation, we have provided necessary medicines to the participants in need. We have also facilitated the sonography of 2 participants, complete blood count of 2 participants and the test of End Stage Renal disease of 1 of our participants. Additionally, we have also provided all the participants with nutrition packets during the camp.

The data from the heath camp presents a picture of the health condition of adolescents in the bastis. The issue of menstruation is still a taboo in various communities, hence, any complications are often overlooked, hushed, or met with home remedies. This often leaves even the complicated matters unattended. One of the participants used to get her periods twice in the same month and it lasted for over 10 days. She wasn’t even aware that her condition needed medical attention. It is imperative to amplify awareness related to menstruation and menstrual hygiene in the communities. Another alarming concern is the percentage of participants with low Hb count, which should ideally be between the range of 12-14. 37.12% of our participants were in between the range of 7-10; 46.97% falls between the count of 10-12 and 15.65% participants are between the range of 12-14. The data suggests that almost 84.09% of our participants who were screened have low Hb count.

As part of our intervention, we have been providing the participants with supplements of recommended vitamins and medicines. We have also scheduled a follow up test after 3 months for some of the recommended participants. Additionally, special nutrition and close attention will be paid towards participants reporting poor Hb levels.

Guided awareness and access to healthcare remains an integral component of our work with adolescent girls.

Medical team handing out medicines to a girl

Team following COVID 19 protocols

Links:

https://vacha.org.in/

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Jul 26, 2021
Vacha in COVID Times

By Steffi Fernando | Assistant Projects Director

Girls taking lead in relief work

Dear Friends,

We are hoping all of you are in good health and taking the needed precautions for battling Covid 19! The impact of Covid 19 has reported disastrous effect on each and every sector of human civilization. It has affected almost every section of the human population but it is needless to say that the people most adversely affected are the intersectionally deprived and disadvantaged. Most of our programme participants and their families belong to this section. Hence it was even more crucial for Vacha to work towards catering to their immediate need and survival following the unprecedented lockdown.

COVID relief work: Assessing the dire situation, we disseminated groceries and medical kits, making it a point to include sanitary napkins in each one of them. We have been undertaking the Covid Relief Drive from April 2020 to July 2021, thereby completing 16 phases of distribution which has greatly supported the participants and their families especially as many lost their jobs and daily wages in these difficult times. Even in these dreadful times, our girls have shown extreme courage, resilience and skills of collectivizing and leadership. From participating actively in our relief drives to assisting the community members, they have been very proactive. Additionally, youth from our communities conducted Vaccine Awareness drive in their community and virtually as well. To add to their efforts, Vacha carried out a vaccination drive for our staff, participants and their family members.

Virtual activities: In these terrible times, the education of our participants, especially that of girls has suffered a blow. With everything shifting to the virtual medium, the digital device seemed more real and alarming. Our interventions were focused on bridging this gap by devising methods like, providing community mobile phones, internet recharges, educational supplies taking sessions to orient the staff and the participants about features of the virtual world; all this was done prioritizing the wellbeing of our participants.

Class 10^th results: In these unprecedented times, our participants have scored exceptionally well in their 10th board examinations which is a critical examination to gain admissions in colleges for higher education. Out of the collated scores, 88 girls and 16 boys appeared for their Grade 10th exams, out of which 24 of them scored more than 75%, 60 participants scored between 60% to 74% and 18 scored between 50% to 64% and results of 3 participants are held up due to some technical issues. We are happy to report that the highest score is 96% and 15 participants scored above 80%

Mobile Library: Vacha believes that each and every child should be helped in inculcating the habit of reading. Library as a resource has always been a critical part of Vacha’s programmes. We did however shift it to the virtual medium for our programme participants as a response to the Covid 19 pandemic in 2020. We created an online repository of books, magazines, newspapers etc., to provide virtual access of books to our participants and also taught them to write book reviews. Participants were overjoyed to be a part of this virtual library program. We have now planned to extend and open our virtual library for everyone in the age group of 10 – 18 years. This will help us reaching out to children who have not had the access to books and engage with them to discuss books and review them together!

We are looking forward to the relaxation of the lockdown measures to engage with our participants on site and conduct our activities in the Vacha resource centres itself. We are thankful for your continued support and encouragement which has helped us to overcome challenges and strengthen our efforts towards girls’ empowerment.

Wishing all of you good health and peace!

Preparation for Relief Work

Distribution of Sanitary Pads

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Mar 29, 2021
Some Happy News in Times of The Pandemic

By Yagna Parmar | Project Director

Gender Icon- Sonal Shukla

Dear friends,

Warm greetings from Vacha team. We hope all of you are safe and taking great care against the Pandemic. We are in a critical situation. Our Maharashtra State has 9 of the 10 worst affected districts in India. Partial lockdowns have already been ordered. We at Vacha have made preparations for going online and working from home but it will be difficult when our work is in 18 bastis (‘slums’). One of our community organisers is already hospitalised with a case of COVID 19. All hospital beds are full so admissions of new cases are difficult. We are in the process of providing technological aid to all staff members. It will be expensive but is much needed.

Despite the serious pandemic situation the programme participants have continued to organise special events like the release of their own newsletters and Women’s Day celebration actually or virtually as the circumstances permitted.

On the happier side, Sonal Shukla, Founder of Vacha and its Managing Trustee, has received two important awards this year. One is the Mahatma award for Social Good that she got on January 31, Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary, also known as the Martyrs’ Day, for her work on Gender Equality from an Aditya Birla Initiative non-profit (the Birlas were close to the Mahatma whose last public prayer was held at Birla House, Delhi) and another from Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, a major Germany based organisation that declared Sonal Shukla as the Feminist Icon from India for their Gender Justice Hub in Asia. More about the award can be accessed at https://india.fes.de/e/an-icon-of-the-womens-movement-in-india-and-across-the-globe-sonal-shukla . Vacha, a resource centre for women and girls, has also won two substantial prizes last year.

We are happy that Sonalbehn’s vision, hard work, dedication and personal sacrifice and her work as an activist, a writer and an initiator in Empowerment of Deprived girls are being appreciated. We are also happy we have been actively associated with her through Vacha’s programmes. We thank all of you for your support to our work.

“It is clear that the idea, ideals and pedagogic principles that govern the Vacha programme are shaped by three great socio-political movements aimed at transforming society. These include, Mahatma Gandhi’s concept of Basic Education. interpreted by the later Gandhian who initiated the Sarvodaya movement of socio-political transformation of the country after Independence; Paulo Freire’s participatory action research and ; the feminist pedagogic praxis. “(Quote from Vacha’s external evaluation report, 2019)

Attachments:

Mahatma Award in Social Good for Gender Equality (PDF)

2 Attachments

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