Thane

Our bus crawled its way out of Mumbai’s congested roads on the way to Thane. It didn’t take long for the scenery outside our windows to become lush and green. We were all weary from gray, dank Mumbai and longing for fresh air. We bumped along the main road north, passing people hunched over in their rice paddies and tilling the soil with oxen drawn plows. On our way, Neelam Kshirsagar gave us an overview of her organization –Impact India – and their programs – the Lifeline Express ("the world's first hospital on a train") and the Community Health Initiative (CHI).

With the Lifeline Express stationed in Orissa, hearing about the "magic train" had to suffice for this trip. Usually I'm wary of projects that rely on a tremendous amount of volunteer support. Even though volunteering is noble and makes a difference, it rarely gets so the root cause of why the volunteering is needed in the first place. Impact India addresses this issue by providing training to health workers and NGOs, and ensure that local government and providers follow up with Lifeline patients. It was reassuring to see such a comprehensive, thoughtful approach.

Our first stop was a CHI-supported residential school for girls, where we were greeted with smiles and curiosity.

Among CHI’s interventions, the appointment of school health monitors is particularly ingenious. Chosen by their peers, the monitors are tasked with identifying emergent health issues among fellow students. These school leaders sang us a song (occasion #935 on this trip that I wish I knew Hindi) and gave us roses to welcome us.

When the pomp and circumstance was done with, the girls got down to work and began their periodic check of the heights and weights of fellow students. They were take charge and methodical, taking their responsibility seriously but good naturedly. Seeing their determination made it all the more frustrating when we heard from our guide that college for these girls is an "impossible dream." As women who have been told all our lives that the sky is the limit, many of us were deeply disturbed by that thought. We had some interesting conversations around the idea of social change and asking "what's enough?" Is it enough to raise the baseline of a generation - get them healthy and a basic education - giving their children a better shot at attaining more? It seems more realistic but insufficient.

Afterwards we were invited to help hand out Vitamin A supplements. It was fun to jump in but felt a little trivial. Throughout the trip, I think many of us have struggled with a feeling of being poverty voyeurs who drop into a community and leave shortly thereafter. We’ve had many reminders on this trip that we are getting immeasurably more from the people we meet than we’re able to give. On the other hand, I can’t think of another way to get such a comprehensive view of the work NGOs are doing here in India.

Next we were greeted by the clinic's nurse who was conducting a training for young mothers on exclusive breastfeeding. The girls formed a line and handed us flowers - so welcoming! After we entered the clinic, a nurse dressed in a gleaming white sari applied the kumkum in between our eyebrows. At first I felt a bit foolish about being received with such ceremony and kindness for just showing up - but reflecting on it a bit more, maybe (for now) it's enough to show up, ask questions and learn.

We headed down the road to the government's local clinic where we spoke with the doctors stationed there. The head doctor, soft-spoken and earnest, showed us around the modest clinic. The biggest problem doesn't seem to be lack of supply of medical services/supplies as one might expect, but lack of demand. The Warli who live in the region often see traditional healers and prefer to give birth in their homes. This is a good example of a common theme on our trip here - need does not mean demand. One of the many a-ha moments I've had on this trip is that perhaps I need to take a good social marketing class...

Our final stop was another school, where Impact's Lifeline Express Mobile unit was stationed. The children at this school, who also greeted us with smiles and a song or two, had never seen foreigners and asked us why our skin was so white. I was grateful when Dr. Vyas told them that many people in the US try to tan their skin to get darker. Light skin is a premium here - I've seen a ton of skin lightening commercials by American companies like Vaseline. Strongly worded letters to said companies are forthcoming.

For good measure, here are some more pictures of adorable children. I hope that at the least, our visit brought them some excitement, joy, and curiosity about the outside world.