Community Health Project

While India does have world class medical facilities in large cities, yet it is a sad reality that medical facilities are hardly available for the poor. That’s very much the case for poor tribal people who are socially, economically and educationally very backward. Superstition, a lack of reliable water, malnutrition and ignorance are all factors that affect the health of communities.

The Community Health Program (CHP) supported by World Transform (W.T.) serves as a bridge to share the love of God. CHP team does its medical outreach in two regions in Central Western India.

Northern Region

This first region of 34 villages has been functioning for over a year now. Our nurses travel by scooter provided by W.T. or they walk to the village when there is no road access. There are three components to this program:

Medical Assistance
Our staff offers medicine for various diseases including malaria, typhoid, tuberculosis, jaundice, gastroenteritis, diarrhea, dysentery, acidity, respiratory infections, anaemia, skin infection, leprosy and malnutrition. Pregnant women and children are given special care by the team members. Last year some 7,500 villagers turned away from the witch doctors and were supplied with helpful pharmaceuticals. Some chronic patients were taken to a hospital for surgery.

Awareness Program
Our team use[s] charts and other teaching aids to explain about the spread of various diseases and preventative measures people should heed. Last year every village had two awareness programs. We supplied nutritious supplementary [aid] for pregnant women.

Counselling
Bhil tribal people do not feel free to talk about their health-related issues. Our team members gave counselling to 72 families. This is an effective method to reach them.

Santaben’s Story

Is a Hindu woman from one of the villages we visit. She is married to Paresh, they have 3 children. They are from an animistic background, offering sacrifices to appease the ancestral gods and goddesses. While they were building their house when Santaben injured her foot. She did not properly care for the wound, but did apply some herbal remedy. Her foot got infected and this spread alarmingly. A witch doctor informed them that the infection was due to evil spirits. They were warned not to use medicine and not to see a doctor, not to wash the wound, but to apply ash he gave them.

Superstitiously they took his advice and the infection became so bad that she couldn’t walk any more. After 6 months it was suggested to Santaben to come to the clinic where her wound was cleaned and bandaged. She was counselled to stop following the advice of the witch doctor and take antibiotics instead. Today Santaben’s foot is all healed. She’s so thankful to the team and allowed them to share the Gospel with her. The team continues to pray for her that in God’s grace she too may become a believer.

Southern Region

We started in another district 6 months later. Here, skin infections, scabies and ring worms are the most common diseases found along with diseases that are mentioned above. This region is most needy and our workers are finding huge needs.

Sampi

Coming from a very poor family. She gets some income by getting jobs as a day labourer. When illness strikes, she can’t afford to visit a doctor even if there were one available. Sampi must work from morning to evening in the hot sun. There’s not much water for personal hygiene and she has developed a severe skin condition. For three years she has suffered from a fungal infection all over her body. Timidly she came to a clinic 8 km from her home. The team counselled Sampi and also gave her a course of antibiotics and an anti-fungal skin cream to apply for 15 days.

The team also shared about Jesus the Saviour and King. Now that she is all better she’s so happy and she’s very open to the Gospel.

Opportunities

This project has been a great blessing to thousands of beneficiaries in the target villages. World Transform support has enabled this program to reach many people with urgent medical assistance. The program is a means to show God’s love among the tribal communities where we work. There are so many opportunities. Please pray that we are enabled to better meet the Community Health Program challenges of:

1. High Malnutrition rate. So there [is] a great need [for] educating parents and children through awareness of balanced diets.
2. Anaemia in 90% of pregnant women. Malnutrition affects the unborn child. So supplements are not taken during the pregnancy.
3. Superstition. It is important to give proper education against rampant superstition. People pass on traditional folk lore practices that may cause more harm.
4. Early Marriage. Marriages are arranged for boys at 17-19 and girls at 15-17. Teenage pregnancies bring many issues. It is a long process to deal with such cultural practices.

WT’s Vision

We are being challenged to expand this ministry and so we are actively preparing for an even greater impact. With God’s blessing and the ongoing support from the churches, our vision is to at least double the work that is being done presently. WT’s work and ministry of CHP this year.