COVID-19 has shaken the foundations of our societies, presenting unknown new challenges but, together, we are navigating a course to the other side of this pandemic. Together, we are standing strong, responding and adapting quickly to a changing world.
Because of the lockdown in India, PRASAD Chikitsa is doing what it can.
It is focussing on three main areas:

Food Packages
3,586 Family Food Packages will be delivered to 2,248 indigenous Adivasi families who have no income as a result of COVID-19. They are day workers who have lost their jobs.

PPE – Masks
Women in the SHGs (Self Help Groups) are sewing masks which allows them to earn some money. PRASAD Chikitsa staff then distribute them across the Tansa Valley.

ANUKAMPA Health Centre
The outpatient department is restricted to one doctor and staff who live locally. In spite of this, it is still open six half-days per week to serve the needs of the community.

COVID-19 Fundraising Project by PRASAD Australia
In April, PRASAD Australia began a fundraising effort. Our aim was $12,000 but that has already reached over $18,000.
You can watch the front page of the PRASAD Australia website to see our progress. Your money is already going to the people who need it most. THANK YOU to each one of you!

Some of the biggest emerging issues that the Tribals face is shortage of cash, availability of essential goods in the market and the unavailability of markets to sell farm produce.

Representatives from PRASAD France, PRASAD Spain, The PRASAD PROJECT, PRASAD Australia
and PRASAD Chikitsa who attended the annual International Meeting.

Post Covid-19 and into the Future

While projects are on hold or operating at reduced capacity during the Covid-19 virus, there is much to be hopeful about. In February, before the virus became global, the annual International Meeting of PRASAD met in Ganeshpuri for an intensive week visiting projects and planning. We reviewed a commissioned report which looked at the expressed needs of the Adivasi people, examined consultant’s PRASAD Chikitsa’s strengths and weaknesses and discussed where our efforts would lie for the next ten years. The planning generated great enthusiasm and excitement.
So, like a bulb, while we are in the winter of the Covid-19 epidemic, there is much unseen work going on and when this epidemic passes, the excitement, enthusiasm and commitment generated at the meeting will burst forth into life.
Some changes have already occurred. For example the highly successful nutrition program can no longer operate due to government decisions, the AIDS program while still occurring needs less focussed attention, the SHGs continue to be a ground-breaking sector of strength and other areas, such as sustainability and community development, will gain more attention. Education and training will be much more focussed. A cancer clinic once a month began while we were at the meeting and there are plans afoot to give more support to the dental program which is doing amazing work.
We look forward to sharing more information as it evolves. Thank you for your support.

What your representatives had to say:

Chairperson – Susanna
It was a wonderful experience to visit PRASAD Chikitsa and be taken by bus to the various villages and hamlets. The residents were very pleased to see us.
One project was the new free-standing concrete toilets and what a difference they had made to the health of all.
We also visited wells and the new plumbing that has diverted grey water away from the houses. These also contributed greatly to improve their health.
It was very heart-warming to experience first-hand the difference PRASAD Chikitsa is making.

Communications – Maureen
I was overwhelmed by the deep sense of respect and trust between the Adivisi people and PRASAD Chikitsa.
At a cultural celebration we attended, group after group talked about the projects they had done that were l tailored to their community’s needs. The women were so confident. Step by step, they are raising their standards of living out of such basic poverty.
There were stories of women running for government positions now. They even performed a song recognising the bond with PRASAD Chikitsa thereby adding it to their cultural history.
They have strong groups skills and their communities have reaped the benefits.

Fundraising – Sonia
We all hear about the great work done by PRASAD volunteers in the newsletter but watching them deliver first-hand added another dimension. We met the doctors, the trainee doctors and other health workers at the Anukampa Health Centre.
We were told locals prefer to attend the Anukampa Health Centre even when they are required to pay a minimal fee rather than visiting the government-run free health service.
The PRASAD centre offers high quality continuing care and the doctors always follow up every patient.
As a PRASAD supporter, I was elated to see my small donations making a big difference in people’s lives!

YOUR DONATIONS AT WORK

This table gives a picture of the successes of PRASAD Chikitsa for the last year.

PRASAD Chikitsa was incorporated in 1994 but it really began in the 1960s with the dilapidated houses rebuilt for 1000 poor families and the critically important medical hospital travelling to villages in the 70s. Initially much of the work was done by volunteers, including Australians, who offered their professional services on the bus or in the eye camp tents on rice fields. Today that is not necessary but it would not be possible for PRASAD Chikitsa to offer the extraordinarily wide diversity of services it does without your generosity. Our role now is to support the work being done. The programs are critical and your donations are invaluable.

THANK YOU

Download the pdf version here.

Every year the Government of Maharashtra holds a prestigious ceremony to encourage rural women who have succeeded in developing successful, life-changing programs in their communities. For the eighth year in a row, Self Help Groups(SHGs) monitored and supported by PRASAD Chikitsa have won recognition for their achievements.

REAPING THEIR REWARD

Eight of the ten members of the Ekta Self-Help Group (SHG) from Kalambhon accepting their award and a cheque from the Government of Maharashtra in January this year at a ceremony in Mumbai.

Like so many other remote villages with a poor socio-economic standing, the Ekta (Unity) SHG was trained in group development by PRASAD Chikitsa.  It was the beginning of their path towards economic empowerment and self-sufficiency.  The SHG initiative has helped them discover livelihood options and how to improve their standard of living.    A savings goal is collected every month by the members. They also grant monetary loans within the group, make regular repayments and manage bookkeeping records. The PRASAD Chikitsa staff helps them to maintain their financial records, audits and banking transactions.

The women are also encouraged to participate in community issues (like tree planting and the use of foods from the forests) as well as social issues (like health awareness and the eradication of malnourishment).

The group members were very happy and feel they are now setting a good example to other SHGs. The group secretary, Ms. Bhavna Patil, said, “What an unbelievable journey it was! For the first time in our lives, we got an opportunity to go on the stage and receive the award from the governor and the minister. Without the efforts and guidance of PRASAD Chikitsa this would never have been possible  The award gives us new hope to achieve even more. We will keep focusing on improvement.”

For two years PRASAD Chikitsa regularly monitored the SHG so it could apply for the awards. The application process involved documenting each step and submitting their efforts and outcomes to the appropriate government authorities.

DID YOU KNOW…?
In 2001, there were 11 PRASAD Chikitsa SHGs in the Tansa Valley. Today, there are 251 SHGs, with more than 2,900 members. The women have generated $500,000 in net assets since SHGs began in 2001.  The success of these SHGs continues to inspire more and more women to form their own groups.

You can help PRASAD Chikitsa!

Sponsor the training of a SHG over a year for $130

 DONATE NOW

SHG TRAINING WORKSHOPS

Women in groups at a training session at Ambarbhui

The Skill Development initiative for SHG women is part of the Community Development project run by PRASAD Chikitsa.  The objectives of the one-day workshops are:

• To understand the concept of SHGs and the power of unity in group development

• To identify areas of conflict and undertake training in conflict resolution

• To be aware of the importance of clear communication and ways to improve it

• To understand the importance of savings.

“Earlier we were dependent on our husbands, but now we don’t need to go to our husbands for anything. We are all doing vegetable cultivation.
Individually we were unsure of what to do but now we are enthusiastic and know we have support in our SHG.
I was shy, too shy to speak but the SHG has given me confidence to speak. I have become a member of my village governing body.  Wow!  And I have become a member of the District Level Livelihood Program. It’s a program to provide livelihood options to women.”

Indian farmers increasingly find themselves in a vicious cycle of debt as a result of high production costs, high interest rates, volatile market prices for crops and the rising costs of fuel and commercial seeds.  Under such conditions, providing PRASAD Chikitsa staff with up-to-date and relevant information is essential to breaking the poverty cycle.  PRASAD Chikitsa teaches farmers to work more efficiently and helps women’s groups start kitchen gardens that will bring extra income and food to the family.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR STAFF

Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF)

In September, PRASAD Chikitsa representatives attended a week-long workshop by Subhash Palekar, an agriculturist who has practiced and written many books about Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), a positive approach to ending a reliance on loans and drastically cutting production costs.

Government Agricultural Institute – Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK)

PRASAD Chikitsa staff attended KVK, a government-run research and training Institute, which offers courses such as agronomy, agriculture extension, horticulture, livestock production and home science.  The visit generated opportunities for partnerships and joint training in the Tansa Valley, enhancing production and cost-effectiveness.

Rainwater Harvesting And Soil Conservation  – Vanvadi

The importance of soil enrichment, water conservation and the conservation of forests was discussed, in addition to the advantages of using local seeds rather than costly commercial ones.

Composting – Specialist Guest Mrs Priti

At PRASAD Chikitsa’s Gorad Farm, the staff attended a demonstration on compost preparation at zero cost for farmers using locally accessible organic material rather than costly chemical additives and fertilizers.  Soil rich in organic matter retains moisture for a long period after the monsoon season, reducing the need for costly irrigation.

You can help PRASAD Chikitsa!

Make training possible for 25 farmers
for one quarter – $78

 DONATE NOW

EXAMPLES OF KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER
– Hard Waste Management

A Pilot Project – Ganeshpuri, Vajreshwari and Akoli

In April, PRASAD Chikitsa held a workshop on waste management, which included the harmful effects of waste landfills that pollute land, air and water and create health issues. Later, in a cleanliness drive at Ganeshpuri, the SHG (Self Help Group) enthusiastically accepted the ‘zero waste’ concept.  They separated garbage and recyclables, created compost and built hoardings to dissuade dumping at three sites as the first steps to a clean environment.

Career Guidance Program

PRASAD Chikitsa’s program creates awareness among students of future job opportunities and different vocational courses available in nearby institutions.  At the stall run by PRASAD Chikitsa, staff introduced its initiative ‘Solid Waste Management’.

DONATING SHARES TO CHARITY

Did you know you can donate shares, rather than cash, in your Will? It can achieve a better result for the charity you wish to support.

Donating shares is tax effective.

If you state your gift as shares (rather than a cash amount), no capital gains tax (CGT) has to be paid – even if the charity chooses to convert them to cash later. The charity of your choice, provided it is a tax exempt charity, receives the full amount of the shares. So a gift of shares in your Will maximises the amount available for your favourite cause.

Maximising your donation while you are living.

You can also donate shares directly to your favourite charity during your lifetime. And, if franking credits are involved, it becomes an ongoing gift rather than a one-off.
Please contact Peter Speakman, a PRASAD Australia Director and the board’s legal advisor, for further information. E:speakman@speakman.com.au tel: 03 9822 8611.

Apart from their visual impact and shade-giving qualities, trees can provide support to the water table, maintain the soil, help clean the air, provide homes for many animals, birds and insects, as well as produce food for consumption. PRASAD Chikitsa’s Agricultural and Community Awareness Departments have raised the awareness of the value of trees in several ways.

Develop community awareness and pride

The Social Forestry initiative has spread awareness of the environment, the need for protection and how to increase green cover. Sessions conducted by PRASAD Chikitsa staff include topics such as threats to the environment, pollution and its causes, the importance of planting trees and their survival, and social responsibility.
Even though it was the peak farming season, 443 women from 17 villages actively participated. They accepted responsibility for the survival of the 1025 trees that had been planted in the yards of houses and school yards, in protected areas, along roadsides and in other communal areas. The women staked and fenced the trees in order to protect them.

Start early

Zilla Parishad School, Chambale, is an example of how children have begun to realize the importance of planting trees to help the environment.
PRASAD Chikitsa staff created a layout for the planting, organised the excavation of the holes at the school and supplied 25 saplings. They were planted in the school grounds by the teachers and students with guidance from PRASAD Chikitsa staff.

Show the way

PRASAD Chikitsa holds talks and demonstrations at its Gorad Farm. In one example, Mr. Nayansingh Thakor, a former dean of the College of Agricultural Engineering & Technology in Dapoli, explained the importance of fruit tree species planted under the Wadi program. He described a technique for old mango tree regeneration, as well as growing pulses as crops, and the post-harvest technology of agri produce. Approximately 1100 fruit trees and forestry saplings were distributed among the thirty-three farmers who planted them within the next three days.

Look for opportunities

PRASAD Chikitsa staff attend information fairs in India on topics such as forest vegetables which grow wild in the monsoon season. At this fair, the staff looked at the cultivation of different types of vegetables suitable for a small patch of land for home consumption. For commercial production and trading they identified ideas for farmers. PRASAD Chikitsa staff visited stalls arranged with vegetables and vegetable dishes to taste. Women at each stall explained recipes and the health and medicinal benefits of the vegetables, which the staff recorded.

 You can help PRASAD Chikitsa !

$90 will support a fruit orchard initiat ive (30 fruit trees + 300 jasmine saplings)

 DONATE NOW

DONATING SHARES TO CHARITY

Did you know you can donate shares, rather than cash, in your Will? It can achieve a better result for the charity you wish to support.

Donating shares is tax effective.

If you state your gift as shares (rather than a cash amount), no capital gains tax (CGT) has to be paid – even if the charity chooses to convert them to cash later. The charity of your choice, provided it is a tax exempt charity, receives the full amount of the shares. So a gift of shares in your Will maximises the amount available for your favourite cause.

Maximising your donation while you are living.

You can also donate shares directly to your favourite charity during your lifetime. And, if franking credits are involved, it becomes an ongoing gift rather than a one-off.
Please contact Peter Speakman, a PRASAD Australia Director and the board’s legal advisor, for further information. E:speakman@speakman.com.au tel: 03 9822 8611.

In India, 50% of children under the age of five are underweight or malnourished.

Malnutrition increases India’s high child mortality rate; those who survive need special care. Their overall health is poor and they struggle at school attaining lower levels of education. Later on in life, they have difficulty procuring a livelihood or, if they do, one that provides a poorer earning power.

Scientists at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, in the first in-depth study of the economic impact of poor early growth in low-and middle-income countries, noted children, who have poor development growth, are subject to stunted growth. Poor nutrition, premature birth, low breastfeeding rates and early exposure to infection are among several causes which affects three in 10 children.

PRASAD Chikitsa has continued working with villages where malnutrition is high and the needs of children up to age six are acute. One of the nutrition programs run by PRASAD Chikitsa is called SAM (Severely Acute Malnutrition). It works in partnership with two NGOs, Annada and Doctors for You, and the corporate social responsibility arm of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group. PRASAD Chikitsa’s aim is to develop model Anganwadis (maternal health/play centres) where the children’s health is improved and monitored.

In the SAM program, children who are acutely malnourished receive nutritional supplements in milk and dahl meals six days a week. The age and weight of children are recorded, and the mothers receive education on health and nutrition. The 350 beneficiaries in this program also benefit from health camps every quarter. Statistics are maintained to ensure they are growing correctly and to estimate how long this form of nutrition needs to be provided to bring the children out of acute malnutrition and then into healthy diets.

PRASAD Chikitsa is also aware of the very poor infrastructure in the villages, the lack of facilities for handwashing and the need for water filters for safe drinking water. Dedicated programs run by PRASAD Chikitsa, such as kitchen gardens (for nutrition), wells (to improve handwashing) and water filters (to prevent diarrohea), are also accessed to support the health initiatives and enhance long-term positive outcomes.

You can help PRASAD Chikitsa !

$100 provides nutritional supplements for ten children for a month at the Anganwadis.

 DONATE NOW

Upward Growth in the Nutrition Program

Between 2014 and 2016, in another program, PRASAD Chikitsa with TML, reduced malnutrition from 43% to 17% in eight Anganwadis. When the need for critical supplements ceased, the supplements were changed to a glass of warm milk, fortified with protein powder on a daily basis. Five other Anganwadis were provided with iron and calcium supplements. During this period, 500 children and 85 pregnant and nursing mothers benefited. As follow up, health talks and anaemia detection camps continue to be held on a periodic basis at these 13 Anganwadis.

Did You Know?

• PRASAD Chikitsa takes note of any obstacles that arise, however small. When water filters were first introduced, villagers did not continue to use them when the filters had to be replaced. PRASAD Chikitsa successfully changed to water filters that, despite greater initial cost, did not require periodic replacement.
• The Kitchen Garden Initiative is one of the most successful activities run by PRASAD Chikitsa. Every year quality saplings and indigenous vegetable seeds are distributed. Training in organic methods and timely follow-up ensure the maximum benefits improving both the family’s nutrition and finances.

In India, 50% of children under the age of five are underweight or malnourished.

Malnutrition increases India’s high child mortality rate; those who survive need special care. Their overall health is poor and they struggle at school attaining lower levels of education. Later on in life, they have difficulty procuring a livelihood or, if they do, one that provides a poorer earning power.

Scientists at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, in the first in-depth study of the economic impact of poor early growth in low-and middle-income countries, noted children, who have poor development growth, are subject to stunted growth. Poor nutrition, premature birth, low breastfeeding rates and early exposure to infection are among several causes which affects three in 10 children.

PRASAD Chikitsa has continued working with villages where malnutrition is high and the needs of children up to age six are acute. One of the nutrition programs run by PRASAD Chikitsa is called SAM (Severely Acute Malnutrition). It works in partnership with two NGOs, Annada and Doctors for You, and the corporate social responsibility arm of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group. PRASAD Chikitsa’s aim is to develop model Anganwadis (maternal health/play centres) where the children’s health is improved and monitored.

In the SAM program, children who are acutely malnourished receive nutritional supplements in milk and dahl meals six days a week. The age and weight of children are recorded, and the mothers receive education on health and nutrition. The 350 beneficiaries in this program also benefit from health camps every quarter. Statistics are maintained to ensure they are growing correctly and to estimate how long this form of nutrition needs to be provided to bring the children out of acute malnutrition and then into healthy diets.

PRASAD Chikitsa is also aware of the very poor infrastructure in the villages, the lack of facilities for handwashing and the need for water filters for safe drinking water. Dedicated programs run by PRASAD Chikitsa, such as kitchen gardens (for nutrition), wells (to improve handwashing) and water filters (to prevent diarrohea), are also accessed to support the health initiatives and enhance long-term positive outcomes.

You can help PRASAD Chikitsa !

$100 provides nutritional supplements for ten children for a month at the Anganwadis.

 DONATE NOW

Upward Growth in the Nutrition Program

Between 2014 and 2016, in another program, PRASAD Chikitsa with TML, reduced malnutrition from 43% to 17% in eight Anganwadis. When the need for critical supplements ceased, the supplements were changed to a glass of warm milk, fortified with protein powder on a daily basis. Five other Anganwadis were provided with iron and calcium supplements. During this period, 500 children and 85 pregnant and nursing mothers benefited. As follow up, health talks and anaemia detection camps continue to be held on a periodic basis at these 13 Anganwadis.

Did You Know?

• PRASAD Chikitsa takes note of any obstacles that arise, however small. When water filters were first introduced, villagers did not continue to use them when the filters had to be replaced. PRASAD Chikitsa successfully changed to water filters that, despite greater initial cost, did not require periodic replacement.
• The Kitchen Garden Initiative is one of the most successful activities run by PRASAD Chikitsa. Every year quality saplings and indigenous vegetable seeds are distributed. Training in organic methods and timely follow-up ensure the maximum benefits improving both the family’s nutrition and finances.

Imagine gradually losing your vision and then discovering that it could be restored with surgery and a short hospital stay, providing a chance for you to again lead a full life.

This miracle is happening now in the Tansa Valley, thanks to the work of PRASAD Chikitsa.

Restoration of eyesight has been high on PRASAD’s agenda for decades, both in India and in Mexico.  Large eye camps, named Netraprakash, meaning the light of the eye, were undertaken near Ganeshpuri by PRASAD in the 1990s. In the last of these large eye camps, held in 1999, over 700 volunteers came from around the world to help restore the sight of 1,200 people using state-of-the-art ophthalmic medical equipment.

PRASAD Chikitsa now has the equipment and medical personnel to regularly undertake cataract surgery at the Gurudev Siddha Peeth Netrachikitsa Hospital.  This has meant that large-scale eye camps have now been replaced by small local eye camps.  Surgery can take place on a weekly basis. Awareness talks on eye health, blindness and vision impairment are now a regular occurrence in the Tansa Valley.

Blindness in rural India is an economic liability, especially for a poor family. School-age children may have to stay home to care for a blind family member.  Restoring vision has benefits for the individual and the whole community as well.

Cataracts are a major cause of avoidable blindness in developing countries, and cataract surgery is one of the most cost-effective health interventions available.

Cataract surgery costs only $5 for each eye!

Eye camps screen patients for cataracts as well as other eye conditions.  Recent camps in four villages screened 844 people; 93 were diagnosed with operable cataracts.

You can help PRASAD Chikitsa!

$50 means another 10 villagers can undergo a cataract operation

 DONATE NOW

Eye screening camps for teachers

School teachers are a precious resource in India.  In the Tansa Valley, the PRASAD Chikitsa eye care team organised eye checkup camps, and more than half the teachers examined were found to have vision problems, many needing corrective lenses and 3% having cataracts.

It is important that teachers remain in the area, so the screening will be offered in many additional schools.

Training community members

A key part of PRASAD Chikitsa’s work has been training community members to identify common ailments.  These volunteers, mostly women, are known as Aarogyavardhinis or AVs.

In the village of Gaigotha, Bharti and Ravita were trained to identify various ailments. Recently these AVs identified people with vision problems and arranged for them to attend a scheduled eye camp in the village. The ophthalmology team confirmed that there were issues.  The screening work of the AVs allows medical teams to spend their time efficiently and make sure people in outlying areas are not missed.

Information also spreads at village level via PRASAD’s Women’s Self-Help Groups and Arogyavardhinis (Social Health Activists).

Thank you to all our friends for your support this financial year.

PRASAD in India has had many successes since the mobile hospital began its work in Baba’s time. People in the Tansa Valley came to trust that the bus would arrive, rain, hail or shine. Today, most health services are delivered from the PRASAD Chikitsa hospital in Ganeshpuri and the children and grandchildren of those who relied on the bus now rely on the hospital.

Nandani Farmer Ravindra Gaikar’s new well to provide irrigation during the non-monsoon season.

An area that still needs focus and innovative thinking is the economic health of farmers, and specifically their access to water. Much of the soil in the valley will grow vegetables, fruit, nuts and rice the whole year round, if only there is water.

If water storage solutions are found, then farmers could grow a second rice or other crop. That would make them less likely to sell off their topsoil to illegal brick factories, or to have to leave their families to seek day labour work in the cities.

So in addition to your very welcome end-of-financial-year financial contribution, if you happen to know about water storage in dry zones, including via aquifer storage reservoirs, please do get in touch so I can forward that information to PRASAD Chikitsa.

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Conley
Chair
PRASAD^® Australia