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Background

Despite health improvements over the last few decades, lives in Rajasthan continue to be lost to early childhood illnesses, pregnancy-related causes, malnutrition and preventable diseases.

For every 100,000 live births, 677 women in Rajasthan die during pregnancy. The reason for this shockingly high maternal mortality rate is that few women have access to antenatal care or skilled birth attendants. In fact, fewer than half of women in rural areas visit antenatal centres to receive the crucial vaccinations against disease that are given there. What's more, only one in three deliveries in Rajasthan are attended by a health professional. Rajasthan also has one of the highest fertility rates in the country - a sure sign that patriarchy still persists in the state, where women do not have control over their own bodies. Infant mortality in Rajasthan is similarly high - as many as 83 infants die per 1,000 live births. The majority of infant deaths occur in the first month of life, and almost half in the first week itself. Most of these infants' lives could have been saved with adequate nutrition, safe drinking water and straightforward immunization.

Women and children in Rajasthan are also increasingly threatened by another killer -HIV/Aids. India has the second highest number of HIV-infected people after South Africa. Yet fewer than half of all women in Rajasthan have even heard of HIV/Aids. The fact that Rajasthan has several national highways passing through it and a large number of tourists visiting are clear danger signals that AIDS may spread further unless something is done to prevent the epidemic.

While Aids is a serious threat for the future, at present the largest cause of death in Rajasthan is respiratory illness. Tubercolosis and silicosis are rife in the state, where over two million people work in quarries and mines. Prevention is the only effective measure to fight against silicosis, as it is not curable. Yet most mine owners today offer no substantial safety measures to protect their workforce. As a result, the average life expectancy of a mineworker is pitifully low - between 40 to 50 years.

Most of these mineworkers are landless families who have been forced to migrate in search of work due to severe drought and poverty. Children as young as nine work with their parents for up to 14 hours a day for meager wages. The families live in remote areas in makeshift huts that have no toilet facilities or electricity. They have no access to safe drinking water, and the nearest health services and schools are many miles away. For all the workers, sick days are no wage days. In the past the long distances between the mining sites have made it difficult for workers to form collectives and campaign for better working conditions and wages.


Objectives


To put pressure on the government to ensure quality health services to the community as their basic right.

To promote community-centred preventive and curative health care, with special focus on mother and child health.

To empower women so that they have control over their fertility and can make their own decisions about their healthcare.

To campaign for basic health facilities for miners and brick kiln workers, and to ensure the effective implementation of laws designed to safeguard their rights.

To mobilize members of the community to create awareness about HIV/Aids and how it can be prevented, and to provide support to HIV-infected people facing social exclusion.

To ensure better health of the villagers, particularly, children, adolescent girls and boys, pregnant and lactating women and old people, by popularizing home based remedies.

To generate awareness of home remedies for prevention and cure of anemia.


Activities

1. Safe Motherhood Programme

Providing basic medical kits to traditional birth attendants and training them in safe delivery practices in the home.

Rallies and camps to educate women about malnutrition and prenatal, natal and postnatal healthcare.


2. Healthcare Programme

Registration, immunization and regular health check-ups of pregnant women, newly-born babies and children.

Training sessions for government health workers on how to advise parents about preventing and managing child malnutrition.


3. Life Skills Workshops for Adolescents
(covering the following topics):

Physical changes at puberty.

Reproductive health.

Concept of marriage as an equal partnership between husband and wife.

Career choices.

Legal rights of young people and women.

Violence against women and girls


4. HIV/Aids Programme

Mobilization of youth volunteers to create awareness about HIV and Aids.

Establishment of counselling and referral services for drug users and other young people living in the slums.

Workshops on safe sex practices, promoting condom usage and devotion to a single, faithful sexual partner.


5. Programme with brick kiln workers

On-site immunization and health check-up camps for children.

On-site reproductive health camps for women, who continue to work until advanced stages of pregnancy as they do not receive maternity benefit.

Pressure put on the local government to provide on-site alternate learning centres for the children.

Organizing of group meetings where representatives from kiln sites can discuss their problems and learn about labour laws, social welfare and safety measures.

Discussions initiated between the workers and mine owners regarding the improvement of working conditions and adherence to labour laws.


6. Programme for children working in mines

Providing specialized medical services to treat the health problems children face as a result of respiratory tract infections, lack of safe drinking water and their parents' inability to afford a proper nutritious diet for them.

Establishment of on-site education facilities, with a curriculum specially geared to the children's needs.

Community groups actively involved in structuring, planning and implementing a campaign for protection of child rights and improvement of working conditions.

Children's forums held to seek their opinions on how the programme can be improved.

Alternative livelihood options identified to reduce the workers' dependency on mining as a source of income.


7. Addressing Anaemia through Home based Remedies

Promotion of Indian system of medicine by exhibition of live medicinal plants and elucidation of their medicinal value

Conduction of target group specific meetings with pregnant and lactating women, children, adolescent girls and boys and old people

Workshops of Ayurveda practitioners are organized to refresh the knowledge of the practitioners, motivate them to practice their own system and make them aware of the various legislations concerning Indian System of Health and Medicine

Farmers are educated about medicinal values of locally cultivable plants like Isabgol, Amla, Tulsi, Neem, Ber, Neembu, Amrood, Monsmi, Lahsun.

Attitudinal and behavioural change towards health care is visible in women and girls.