PARTNERS IN PROGRESS
OUR MISSION
Our goal is to provide Irudayampattu Village with a medical clinic building and an ambulance. Emergency assessment and preventative medicine would be more available to 60,000 people who are currently living without it. This service would benefit all residents by providing:
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Assessments of injuries, first aid treatment, and transportation when required
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Infant immunizations
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Prenatal, infant, and pediatric checkups
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Diagnosis, treatment, and management of chronic diseases
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Education programs such as chronic disease management, first aid, and health promotion.
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Environmental Challenges
Air pollution, and climate change standout among the many environmental challenges that face Tamil Nadu because they directly affect health and economic standing. The rural villagers of Irudaympattu are especially impaired by climate change because they depend largely on natural resources for survival. Rice paddy and sugar cane farming, the main industries in Irudayampattu, are currently being threatened by severe drought. The region is currently experiencing the worst monsoon cycle in 140 years which has left reservoirs 82% below normal levels. Without monsoon rains to replenish wells for irrigation, crops have perished resulting in mass suicide of 144 farmers between October and December 2016. Severity and frequencies of droughts are expected to rise as annual rain fall is expected to decrease 6% from 2010 to 2040 while temperatures are expected to rise 1.2 oC during the same time period. Many families from Irudayampattu have members that pursue work in factories in highly polluted cities such as Chennai. These workers are subjected to hazardous air borne particulate matter created from open burning of garbage, industry and combustion. Although the city provides employment opportunities Chennai has a particulate matter level over 13 times that recommend by the World Health Organization. This exposure has resulted in irritated eyes, and respiratory tracts for many workers which may lead to more serious conditions over time.
Main Health Concerns
Most of the people work in the fields in bare feet and exposed legs, which leaves them defenseless to scorpions and venomous snakes
Pregnant woman, newborns, children, and elderly people do not have access to basic healthcare, such as immunization, treatment for gastrointestinal infections, and emergency first aid
And more....
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Malaria and leprosy
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Diet and malnutrition
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Diabetes
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Minor skin lacerations that frequently become seriously infected
Venomous snakes: A threat to Farming Families
Information referenced from: Snakebite and Its Socio-Economic Impact on the Rural Population of Tamil Nadu, India.
During our time in South India we observed that venomous snakes are a serious threat to the health and economic well-being of farmers and their families. Commonly called the ‘Big Four’, the Russell’s viper, saw-scaled viper, Indian cobra, and the common krait are responsible for most of the venomous bites in Tamil Nadu. The Big Four snake species flourish in the irrigated fields surrounding rural farming communities and easily enter households on their borders. A survey study of 28,494 thousand people living in rural communities found that 1,115 had been bitten by snakes in their life time. Of the snake bites, 79% were bitten in fields while 15% were bitten indoors. This survey found that 64.3% of victims did not receive first aid after the bite and where first aid was received it was often traditional medicine which consisted of blood sucking, induced vomiting, and plant based therapy. During our time in Tamil Nadu, we saw traditional medicine in practice and observed that it was not an effective means of treating snake bites. We observed that traditional medicine made patients weaker and prevented patients from seeking modern healthcare at government hospitals resulting in large scale tissue death prone to infection. Our goal of a medical clinic for treatment and health education with ambulance service is in agreement with interviewed villagers which found that dedicated transport vehicle and more health education was needed their communities.
SERVICES
Marginalized Women
Safe access to medical care for women whom are greatly marginalized in Indian society. Female literacy rate is only 73 compared to 86 for males.
- MEDICAL CARE FOR All PEOPLES -
Marginalized Social Groups
Access to medical care for marginalized social groups (Catholic and Muslim) in a Hindu majority society.
A Community That Needs Nurturing
Access to medical care for rural villagers who cannot afford to leave their jobs and village for medical treatment. Also, health education for all peoples especially youth and women.
CULTURE
5070
People per doctor in Tamil Nadu Province
10,000
Annual Deaths from Venomous Snakes in Tamil Nadu Province
144
Farmers ended their lives after experiencing
the worst drought in 140 years. Reserviors are currently 86% below normal.
2%
Infant mortality rate Tamil Nadu
Legend
1. The plot where the clinic will be built.
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2. Irudayampattu Church
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3. Outdoor auditorium
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4. Classroom building
Image from Google Earth
LOCATION
About The Irudayampattu Village
Located in India is the village of Irudayampattu. The village population is 30,00 and there are over 60,000 eope in the vicinity. The nearest hospital is 40 km away in Tiruvannamali. Due to poor roads and heavy traffic, it can take up to two hours to make the journey.
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The village of Irudayampattu is located in the southern province of Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu is bordered by the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal on the east and the Western Ghats mountains to the west. The province is largely semi-arid and relys on rain to replenish water resources. The province has a population of over 72 million of which 51 million people are literate. The largest city of this province is Chennai which has a population of over 7 million.
Tamil Nadu has the second largest GDP of all the states Indian states however a large proportion of the population remains improvised especially in rural areas. Social problems include large disparities between, genders, castes, urban and rural and districts. Corruption is an all-encompassing problem in this state; Transparency International has ranked Tamil Nadu as the second most corrupt in India. The main religious groups are 87.6% Hindu, 6.1% Christian and 5.9% Muslim. Government policies often benefit Hindus at the expense of Christians and Muslims.
Irudayampattu is a peaceful farming community located 100 kilometres west of Ponducherry, the city popularized by Yann Martel’s novel Life of Pi. Most families earn income by cultivating rice paddy and sugar cane by hand using open pit wells for irrigation. The village centre has a handful of small shops, a barber and Catholic school and church. Most homes are one room surrounded by shoulder high mud-brick walls with an A-frame thatched roof. Families that own large plots of farmland have single level concrete homes that have higher ceiling and more amenities such as a propane stove and raised beds. Households are self-sufficient with small gardens or a fruit tree for fruits and vegetables and a handful of chickens of other live stock for food. Almost all families own a single motor bike or scooter for transportation. Villagers live a very frugal life. During our stay in Irudayampattu we took a family to a movie in the next town and it was all of the children’s first movie.
Want To Help?
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Donations are graciously accepted. Cheques can be made to the Church of the Assumption India Clinic Project. Tax receipts issued upon request.
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Address:
Church of the Assumption
7109 Glacier Street
Powell River, BC V8A 1R8
604-485-5300
Design Plans
A Project Set for Success
Partners in Progress: Two Communities Working Together
Moving this project forward, is the Partners in Progress committee in Powell River. The committee consists of dedicated volunteers from a number of professional backgrounds some of which have experience in international aid projects. This committee, with the assistance of the Assumption Church, has held successful dinners, T-shirt, and hot dog fundraisers over the past two years. To date, $23,000 has been raised for this project from fundraising and generous donations. There are many upcoming fundraisers planned including a Christmas Tree fundraiser this December.
In addition to fundraising, this committee works with members in India to plan this project.
Fr. Dass, a member of Partners in Progress and Priest working in Powell River, was born in Irudayampattu. The connections Fr. Dass has in the project location will help move this project forward. With Fr. Dass’s help we have obtain blue prints for the clinic structure from Bose construction and Design. In time, an official committee will be formed in Irudayampattu to assist with further planning and construction.
Community engagement in Irudayampattu is an important aspect of this project. The Irudayampattu committee will inform village members about the clinic project and how they can help with its construction and operation. The goal of this community engagement is to encourage community members to have ownership of the clinic to ensure its long term success. During our time in Irudayampattu, we experienced a strong sense of kindness and solidarity; attributes that will help us make this project a reality. For example, when we held medical clinics in Irudayampattu, villagers volunteered by helping translate or by traveling to pharmacies to obtain medical equipment. In addition, community members often work together helping with the harvest or preparing massive feasts for holidays. It is our goal that villagers will also work together to plan and complete aspects of this project. With our support, this medical clinic will be for community members by community members.
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The focal point of Irudayampattu is the Church and school in the middle of town. The Catholic elementary school is attended by children of all faiths. Community members often seek shade under trees and attend weekend livestock sales the school grounds. This property is well known to all villagers and thus is the perfect location for a community clinic. Having developed land ready to build on greatly lowers the cost of having to purchase a lot obtain utility permits. Importantly, the building of this lot will not further destroy natural habitat areas take away from farmable land as the plot is already developed.
The clinic structure will minimize its environmental impact by employing a rain catchment system and solar panels. The rain catchment system will harvest monsoon rains and will augment water used for hand washing and cleaning purposes. The power supply in Irudayampattu is not reliable, by storing solar power in batteries the clinic will have lights despite frequent power outages.
A Clinic Ready Lot
A Sustainable Building
References
Directorate of Family Welfare. (2014-2015). Tamil Nadu Health Indicators at a Glance. Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Accessed from: http://www.tnhealth.org/dfw/notification/Apr%202015/At%20a%20glance%202014-15-final-30.3.2015.pdf
ENVIS Centre: Tamil Nadu State of Environment and Related Issues. (2017, March 16). Accessed from: http://tnenvis.nic.in/Database/TN-ENVIS_793.aspx
Vaiyapuri, S., Vaiyapuri, R., Ashokan, R., Ramasamy, K., Nattamaisundar, K., Jeyaraj, A., Chandran, V., Gajjeraman, P., Baksh, F., Gibbins, J.M., & Hutchinson, E.G. (2013.) Snakebite and its socio-economic impact on the rural population of Tamil Nadu, India. PLoS One, 8(53), doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080090
Waghmare, A. (2017, January 10). NE monsoon worst In 140 Years, 144 farmers Dead, Tamil Nadu declares drought. India Spend.
World Health Organization. (2016). Ambient (outdoor air quality and health) Fact Sheet. Accessed from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs313/en/
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All Photos taken by Spencer Burns