Visit to New Slums, July 4th, 2009

Today we went on a visit to search out the slums in the Ramavaram area. It turned out the be a very educational visit, and a real eye-opener about the current conditions of slums along the Adyar River.

Our initial plan was to go to the slum opposite to the one in Ramavaram where we had been working. We had first worked in this place almost a year ago, when we had conducted a medical camp. On that visit, we noted that the slum residents were cheerful and happy; they were glad to have the chance to utilize the services that we provided.

As we entered the area, we made an effort to identify a village leader, with whom we could establish a relationship with, and work together on future projects. We were quickly directed to the Councilor, Mr Perumalsami. We discovered that was a wonderful personality who took an immense interest in the affairs of his people. We spoke to him and he told us about the current situation with the slums in Ramavaram, especially of the ones along the Adyar River. Most of the people in the area are convinced that there is a program against the slums along the Adyar river - after our project slum burned down last month, two additional slums also caught fire. There were also several smaller fires as well. The most immediate concern of the residents was to prevent these fires from happening - Mr Perumalsami was indeed recently protesting against these fires.

Our conversation with Mr Perumalsami was very fruitful. We asked him some basic questions about the slum, and he was happy to answer them. There were approximately 170 houses in this area. He said that many of the people were in need of medical care. Sanitation facilities were very poor - none of the houses had bathrooms, and open-air defecation was commonly practiced in a nearby area. He wanted to show us a second slum, which was also nearby. This slum was back across the street, where the Ramavaram community was, only further down the road. We went there, and found another thriving community of 179 houses. 59 of these houses had been burned down in recent fires, and many of them were being reconstructed.

There was a palpable air of sadness in these communities. There was an immense fear among the people that they would lose their homes in fires. But they had few alternatives. Many of them stored their flammable belongings away from their homes due to these fears. Houses that had been burned down were being rebuilt. People were taking down their roofs and were trying to buy metal roofs that were more fire-retardant.

Despite these fears, the people were friendly and resilient. They were in touch with another NGO that was helping them to educate their children. They were interested in making a community center where classes could be held for them.

As we were meeting, Alex, our group artist, came along and started working on maps of these slum areas. These will be useful to us in our future projects.

We asked the community to come up with a list of the households in the community, with the names and ages of each of the family members. As we begin our own survey, we can use this to more quickly consolidate our data.

Thanks to everyone for coming today, and we appreciate the support that continues despite recent setbacks. We are determined to make a difference in this community, and we'll need lots of help to get it done. Finally, we'd like to welcome and thank to our new volunteer, Seeralan, from Vellacheri, and our guest, Katie Bush, from Michigan, USA.

View the rest of the photos from this visit.

Trip to Ramavaram Tomorrow, July 4th

Tomorrow we are planning a trip to a small slum opposite the former Ramavaram slum where we used to work. We are hoping that the trip will result in a small and informal meeting with the community elders; and we can learn more about the needs of the people there. Alex, our Sangam India artist, will be there to draw a map out of the place. We previously worked with this community during our November 2nd, 2008 health camp.

Our plans in this community will focus mostly on health education. In the meanwhile, we will continue the search for a new community to work.

We hope to get there by 5PM; and we should be there for about an hour. Please contact us if you're interested in coming.

Visit to Ramavaram and Clothing Donation

Also see: Fire at Ramavaram, A Summary, and Plans for the Future.

Today we made a somewhat impromptu visit to the Ramavaram area to visit the residents of our community and to assist in a clothing donation project. The donation project involved three organizations: the Sai Samithi of Porur, Vishranthi Charitable Trust, and Sangam India. We played a very small role in the project but were nonetheless grateful for our chance to be a part of it and to interact with our community members in Ramavaram.

Clothes to be donated were generously given by Vishranthi, an organization based in Alwarpet, Chennai. The clothes were delivered by truck to the Sai Samithi in Porur a few days ago. Members of the Sai Samithi diligently categorized the clothing based on sex and age. In addition, members of the Samithi went to the community on Saturday, contacted its head, and gathered information about each of the families in the community that were affected by the disaster. They then gave each family a token with a number that corresponded to their own data. This systematic collection of information and the use of tokens allowed the operation today to proceed without problem. In addition to clothing, a packet of rice was also given to each family as well.

A small group of Sangam India members came today to assist, in some small way, with this operation. We spoke to the members of the Sai Samithi and we learned much about how to organize and run distribution projects. It was very impressive to see the dedication in their work. In addition, we were happy to have with us a doctor, Dr. Usha, who saw a several medical cases, giving advice and treatment to them. Finally, a number of our members came simply to spend time with the children.

As we were leaving, a number of large trucks came and many of the group elders boarded them. They will be going to their new location to inspect the area, and if all goes as planned, the entire group will be moving to the new area sometime tomorrow. As we conclude our work here with these people, we feel a little sad to be parting with friends, but hope that this will be a start to a good life for them.

A heartful thanks to the Sai Samithi of Porur for running this project and to Ms Sundari Jayaraman and Ms Savithri Vaithi of Vishranthi for providing the clothes.

View the rest of the pictures from today's visit

Pictures from Today's Relief Work

Here are some photos from today's relief work at Ramavaram. As mentioned previously, we gave each of the residents a hot packet of curd rice for them to eat. A writeup will be posted later tonight.

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Relief Efforts at Ramavaram, June 16th

Today we went to the Ramavaram area to assist the former slum residents there through what seems to be a difficult transition period.

We came with a large team of students and members of the community as well and everyone had a part to play in one of our largest operations ever. Our aim was to distribute each of the following to each household:

• bedsheet
• vessel for transporting water (kudam)
• soap
• toothpowder
• a packet of 'Marie Gold' biscuits

Though we had some difficulty initially with setting up the project, once things got started, they proceeded smoothly. Towards the end of the project we had some difficulty as there was some commotion in the community, and some people tried to get the same items twice. Though we found these things frustrating, we understood that they were the result of the difficult circumstances that these people were living in. Our project work today was led by Pamela and Vasundhra, who did an excellent job of coordinating and leading the work. In addition, we had a doctor, Dr. Tripthi, come with us to see some cases and we were able to treat one child who seemed to be having a worm infestation. Dr. Tripthi also suggested mass deworming the entire population to prevent transmission of enteric worms and we might be able to do this in the near future.

As we were giving out the items, we collected data from each family, regarding the names, ages, and sex of each of the family members. This will help us to better plan to serve their needs in the future.

It was also discovered during our visit that food was not given to the community at all today by the State Government, as was promised. The people were required to fend for themselves. Each family had been given a compensatory Rs. 2000 to help them cope with their losses. When we spoke to the government official regarding this, he merely stated that no further food was going to be given as the families had been given this amount of money. Fortunately, the water tank was refilled so the residents did have water.

Worsening the situation is a large amount of drunkenness by many of the adults in the community. This disappointing, but not totally unsurprising turn of events further saps the limited amounts of money the families have and ruins an already dismal morale.

We hope that our visit to Ramavaram today would have given to these families some essential, requested provisions, and more than that, helped to boost the morale in a community that seems to be adrift.

Thanks again to everyone for their continued support, both in terms of funding and volunteering. Please read Nivedita's post on how you can help if you are interested in contributing.

View more pictures from today's visit.

Also see: Fire at Ramavaram, Call for Help, and news articles (1, 2, 3).

Movie Clip: How to Be a Doctor

In this movie clip, Nivedita shows children how to use a stethoscope. From our April 11th, 2009 visit.



Lesson Planning: Our Objectives

Movie Clip: Teamwork

In this movie clip, Nazneen tells the kids about the importance of teamwork. From our April 11th, 2009 visit.



Lesson Planning: Our Objectives

Movie Clip: Teachers

In this movie clip from our April 18, 2009 visit, Yogesh tells the kids what teachers do and the kids get a chance to write on the whiteboard.



Lesson Planning: Our Objectives

Movie Clip: Staying Healthy

In this movie clip, Vandhana and Nazneen tell the kids how they should healthy so they don't fall sick. After this, one of the kids from the slum tells the rest of the group what to do again. From our April 11th, 2009 visit.



Lesson Planning: Our Objectives

Movie Clip: Using a Stethoscope

In this movie clip from our April 11th, 2009 visit, Dr. Thinesh tells the kids how to use a stethoscope.



Lesson Planning: Our Objectives

Summer Visit - Day One

Here is a short statement from Sri Nandini, one of our members, about yesterday's trip to Ramavaram.

In the aftermath of everyone’s leaving to vacation, Safwan rallied the troops. Four of us showed up; including one of my schoolmates, Chendur, from Carleton University, Canada. Knowing that it takes an army to actually control the kids, Shubha, Safwan, Chendur and I decided to follow their example for a change, and found our inner children. Between playing cricket, flying kites and having the usual horde attacking us, I realised that in the next month, I’m really going to miss these kids.

It turns out that many of the children at Ramavaram will be going home to their hometowns over this month. Depending on how many kids are there, we'll schedule another summer visit.

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Photos: Summer Visit - Day One

Here are some photos from today's Summer Visit. Thanks to everyone who came out and we'll have a few words about today by one of our members tomorrow.

Click here to see the rest of the photos.

Educational Programme - Day 6

Today was the sixth day of our Educational Programme, and overall it went well. Today we had a lot of kids getting involved and we were able to reach our objectives that we planned.

Once we got the children together, we got started. We decided not to use the laundry facility because most of the kids were already in the field and it would have been too difficult to get them to come. The first part of of our programme was to get the kids together and to teach them about pollution and about keeping their environment clean. Mathangi and Vivek did a great job telling the kids about the importance of using clean water and about taking daily baths. They also emphasized the importance of throwing one's trash away in a designated place.

The second part of our programme was the continuation of the "When I Grow Up..." programme that we started on the third day of our educational programme. Having previously discussed doctors and teachers, we continued our programme with a discussion of policemen. Safwan, one of our members, dressed up as a policeman and told the kids about what they do. A number of kids were excited about this and wanted to be policemen and women. He told them about the importance of following the law and that it took a lot of studying, physical exercise and hard work to be a in the police. We hope that were able to inspire a few of them about this line of work. In addition, many of the kids enjoyed getting a chance to try on the police uniform afterwards.

The final part of our project was done by Alex. He taught the kids how to make paper airplanes. This activity was a hit with the kids and they had a lot of fun learning how to do it. It also helped them to learn how to follow directions and it gave us a chance to interact with the kids one-on-one. We all had a lot of fun doing this project and we hope we can do something like it again.

We'd like to thank people for coming out for their first time today. Vivek, Manoj and Neil were all very helpful and we hope to see more of them in the future.

This concludes the first part of our educational programme. Many of us will be going home for the month of May. We do have plans to continue the program next month with the people that will be in Chennai. If you can help volunteer for our project some time in May it would be most appreciated, and we really hope you will contact us about this. We look forward to coming back in June with a lot of fresh energy.

Click here to see the rest of the photos from today's trip.

Photos from Educational Programme - Day 6

Here are some of the photos from today's Educational Programme, held on April 25th, 2009. Check back tomorrow for a post about the visit.





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Educational Programme - Day 5

Yesterday we had the fifth day of our Education Programme. It was a fun day, a bit more laid back than usual, and we were able to teach the kids a few things about road safety and about teachers. We didn't have the usual group today but we had plenty of people coming after a long break.

After we got the kids together, we had them sit down in a circle and teach them about road safety. Yogesh told the kids about the importance of safety signals and about how they should cross the road safetly. It was great to see the kids participating in the programme with their own contributions.

After this, Sivaprakash and Yogesh told the kid about teachers. Several of the kids wanted to be teachers, as we found out the third day of our educational programme. We explained to them what teachers did. We had a small whiteboard, which was kindly lent to us. The kids had a fun time lining up in front of it to write their names on the board.

Because we finished our programme earlier than usual today, we spent some time there afterwards talking and playing with the children. We played catch and other simple sports and the kids had a lot of fun. This wrapped our day. We hope to come back again next week to spend some more time with these kids!

Click here to see the rest of the photos from today's trip.

Photos from Educational Programme - Day 5

Here are some of the photos from today's trip to Ramavaram as the fifth day of our Educational Programme.

Click here to view the rest of the pictures.

Movie Clip: What Doctors Do

This is a short clip from our visit on April 11th, 2009. In it, Dr. Thinesh tells the kids of Ramavaram what sort of work doctors do.



Lesson Planning: Our Objectives

Educational Programme - Day 4

Today we held the fourth day of our ongoing educational programme. As Nivedita explained, we wanted to capitalize on the work we had done in our last visit to Ramavaram, where we had the children draw pictures of what they wanted to be when they grew up. We thought this would be a good idea to explain to them what people did in various careers, so as to inspire them to think big and to be positive. Some of the kids drew about doctors, and since most of us are medical students, we thought this would be a good place to start.

The day got off to a good start. One thing I have noticed is that it is taking less and less time to get the children organized into a group and they are more attentive. I chalk this up to the fact that we have been able to come regularly over the past month and the kids are getting more used to the format of our programme. We started off with Dr. Thinesh explaining to the children what doctors do. Our goals here were twofold. One aspect of it was that children are very afraid of doctors, and we wanted to do our best to get rid of this fear so that kids wouldn't be afraid to go to a doctor when they get sick. The second aspect was to raise interest in the profession so that some of them might hope to accomplish it themselves. The kids were very involved in this and they had a lot of fun participating in this programme. Some of them explained to us what we should do to stay healthy and to avoid seeing a doctor.

The highlight of the day, for the kids at least, was a chance to wear a lab coat, pretend to be a doctor, at least for a few minutes, and to listen to heart sounds on a stethoscope. This was a wonderful idea by Dr. Thinesh and they kids had a lot of fun learning how to pronounce 'stethoscope' (which was quite a challenge) and using it to listen to the heart sounds of me and Nivedita. We had them learn that the sounds came from the heart, and where the heart was in the body. The kids were very excited about this - many of them wanted to try it for a second time. I had a lot of fun teaching the kids and they loved being called 'Dr.'

After some of the kids tried auscultating, we had them all sit back down again for the second part of our programme. Nazneen and Vandhana did a teamworking lesson with all the kids. We handed each of the kids a small piece of straw from a broom. We discussed with them how when the sticks are held separately, they are quickly broken; but when combined together, they become impossible to break. Nazneen told them a wonderful story to accompany this about teamwork and we had one of the children stand up afterwards to explain what he had learned to the rest of the group. It was wonderful to hear their ideas about how to help people. Some of the children volunteered that it was important to give water to the thirsty, help people who got injured, and to help blind people cross the street.

This concluded our programme for the day. The children who didn't get a chance to auscultate did so after we had finished; and others got a chance to hit the cricket ball. The emphasis for today's programme was on positive thinking, health education, and teamwork. We really hope that some of the kids were able to gain something in that direction.

Thanks a lot to everyone for coming out and participating with the programme, and we hope to follow up with another day next week!

Click here to view the rest of the photos from this event.

On another note, this blog has now been in existence for over a year! Thanks to its many authors for contributing to it and keeping it up to date - and with putting up with my constant pestering.

On yet another note - thanks to the 400 people who've joined our facebook group!

Handwashing Review at Ramavaram

Another clip from last Saturday's (April 4th, 2009) visit to Ramavaram. In this visit, we went over the technique of handwashing with the children of Ramavaram that we first taught on the first day of our educational programme.

Toothbrushing Lessons at Ramavaram

A small movie clip from our trip on April 4th, 2009. One of the girls at Ramavaram, just taught by Vandhana, explains to the rest of the group how to brush our teeth. After this, we gave each of the kids a toothbrush to help reinforce the lesson.