Manjulaben – July 2009

One day, while doing field work in one of the poorer areas of Rampir Ne Tekro, we met Manjulaben and her family. She lives with her husband and two young daughters, and they earn a living by rake picking, picking up and sorting garbage. When we met her, Manjulaben hardly had enough clothes to cover her body, and there were a lot of flies hovering over the many foul-smelling, pus-filled sores located on her body. She had been taking medicine from the local medical store. She was sent to Civil Hospital and received treatment for eight days. During her stay in the hospital, her daughters had to be left with the neighbors because her husband had to work in order to be able to afford food to eat. Once Manjulaben returned from the hospital, she was required to take medicine and change the dressing everyday; however, the infection returned as the medicine was expensive and she could not afford to change the dressing daily.

She once again became very ill and was visited by a Manav Sadhna health worker. She was sent to the Manav Sadhna health center, and she was diagnosed with a very bad infection. The cost of one tablet and one injection was 108 rupees, and it was required that she take three tablets and two injections daily. Her one-and-a-half year old daughter was also diagnosed as anemic and malnourished as she had not been breast fed by her mother. Poonambhai, the doctor who oversees the health center, recognized that this family was very poor and yet very honest. He decided to give the dressing and medication to both mother and daughter for free. Since then, although it has not be cured, Manjulaben's infection has significantly reduced, and her treatment is ongoing. Her young daughter has been shown to a pediatrician, and follow-up is currently taking place. The baby is now put in daycare at the Manav Sadhna community center everyday.

• Poor health is usually a result of lack of awareness and lack of treatment.Manav Sadhna tries to remedy this issue via programs geared towards hygiene,family planing,addiction and prevention and treatment of illness. All this carried out through our health center in the slum,regular medical camps and with aid from medical professionals and institutes.

maji pravas

Residential School

Adopting Gujarat Harijan sevak sangh's historic hostel inside the Gandhi Ashram was also one of our first projects.We poured our hearts and savings into molding and improving the lives of 120 children from the Bhangi(scavengers) community.Children now live within the hostel and receive an education in a loving and caring environment.

Our Projects Back to Childhood

As much as we would like,we still have a long way to go to eradicate child labor and return childhood back to the kids.Started many years ago,"Back to Childhood"was one of our first projects.Trough this project every Saturday evening,underprivileged children could enjoy their childhood again.For two hours,they gether to sing,dance,play and learn how to alleviate their hardships.The happy experience is culminated with a nutritious meal.

Dustbin project

Dust Bin ProjectThe project has 2 main objectives: 1) to remove dry household waste from the Tekra slums on a regular basis, and 2) to beautify the Tekra slums.Dust Bins / Stencils“Dust Bins” are essentially old containers of Ghee (cooking oil) that have been collected by Manav Sadhna staff and volunteers in the community center gym, and are subsequently re-painted. Manav Sadhna volunteers currently paint the outside of a bin green and the inside off-white (though the inside color is inconsequential). The thinking is that painting the inside of a bin will slow deterioration.We are also attempting to use iron stencils for the outside of the bins. Stencils are best when used in conjunction with spray paint.Highlights from yesterday: 9.11.09160 Dustbins were handed out.5 Rupees per dustbin was collected by Manav SadhnaCommunity members were told that pickup of trash would start this Wednesday 11.11.09 at 9amIf problems arise with pickup community members should alert Upendra or Rahoul at the Community Centerv Municipal Waste will be paying the 10 Rupee charge per month per family for all of the families receiving Dust Bins.

14 November Children's Day Celebration

The 14th of November is Jawaharlal Nehruji's birthday. Nehruji was the first prime minister of India after Independence. He wore a flower on his coat as a symbol of a child, blossoming in the world, bringing beauty, love, and innocence. He loved children and in remembrance of his birthday India celebrates Children's day.

Manav Sadhna held a Children's day celebration with 500 children from Ahmedabad. The celebration included prayer, live music, a dramatic play, and dance. There was also a yoga position dance to the Indian national song, Vande Mataram.
Earlier in the day the children enjoyed a puppet show depicting the lives of Indian royalty. Manav Sadhna volunteers served water and food to the children during and after the celebration and joined in the traditional garba dance. Hundreds of drawing books and color boxes were donated to Manav Sadhna to be given to the children as gifts after the celebration.
Several Trustees attended the celebration including Shri Ishwarbahi Patel, the founder of Manav Sadhna's father, and a leading activist for sanitation in India and founder of Environmental Sanitation Institute.
Underprivileged children enjoyed a day of excitement, entertainment, and education. Students from Mudra Communication performed two plays about cleanliness and education for girls. The band, Ananyamas, played several exciting songs for the children from well known Bollywood films.
Two children from Manav Sadhna's Earn to Learn program have been learning to play the guitar and performed at the celebration.

activities are divided into the following categories:

1. Basic Education
2. Health
3. Income Generation
4. Saving
5. Fun
6. Bridging Gaps
7. Values
8. Disaster Management

Starting MS blog

Today we started Manav Sadhna Blog.