Life Saving Treatment to Children in Rural India

April 18, 2009

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Seva Mandir, India!

Many thanks for your continuing support. There are a total of 66 camps running and this program continues to save several children and women. This has been possible because of support from people like you. Thank you so much for your support and encouragement.

This month, I am pleased to share a story of one of our GNMs (General Nurse Midwife). The GNM and the assistant as a team deliver the services of immunization in villages. One of our volunteers Ginny who works in Health program visited some immunization camps and spoke to immunization team.

The following story is written by Ginny as she was very impressed with the work these GNMs are doing. We hope that you will enjoy learning a bit about our team.

We will be happy to answer your queries. Once again a very big thank you for all your support.

With warm regards,

Deepti deepti@sevamandir.org

‘Gauri is a general nurse midwife who along with her team members runs 17 camps in a month in rural areas of Udaipur. Gauri lives with her husband and their 6-year-old fully immunized daughter. She pursued a career in nursing, starting with a three-year general nursing and midwifery (GNM) degree. Gauri has been working with Seva Mandir for five years and has seen the immunization camps in action.

One of the biggest improvements that she has seen is the addition of antenatal check-ups for pregnant women and the general health check-ups of the children receiving immunizations. In addition to immunizing children and pregnant women, Gauri checks the blood pressure, hemoglobin count and weight of women as they progress through their pregnancy. This allows her to catch early signs of complication—something important for ensuring the health of both mother and child. Gauri feels that the addition of these programs have added to the benefits of the camps, something she is proud of.

17 days out of the month, Gauri is in the field, at immunization camps in the rural areas around Udaipur and this is where she feels most comfortable. She likes the work that she does bringing change to the lives of so many children. When asked to pinpoint a specific example that has moved her during her time as a nurse, she comments, she is moved every time she gives a child a shot. That child, she knows, has a better chance to be health and happy because of it.

The training that Seva Mandir has provided for Gauri has improved both her skills as a nurse, as a counselor and her overall confidence.’