Community activity
CRY’s Medical Camp at Madiwala
The importance of quantitative and qualitative availability of primary health care can not be overemphasized for a developing country like India. According to the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) published in medical journal The Lancet, India ranks 154 among 195 countries on the healthcare index. Though, India’s healthcare access and quality has increased by 14.1, up from 30.7 in 1990 to 44.8 in 2015, there is still a lot of scope for improvement.
As a small step towards this initiative, CRY Bangalore organized a health camp on 17th of September, 2017 at Madiwala, Bangalore. The idea for the event came up during one of CRY’s PAG meet-ups. Since most of the PAG volunteers were newcomers, they were initially a little apprehensive about conducting a medical camp since it was a huge responsibility. Nevertheless, they accepted the challenge and started charting out the tasks and making arrangements.
From the get-go, the event was entirely driven by CRY volunteers Bangalore. They divided themselves into teams and took up tasks like pre-awareness drive at the slums, selection of the venue and arranging the medical staff.
After days of meticulous planning, the D-Day arrived. Bangalore has a way of surprising us when it comes to the weather, and the day of the medical camp was no different. As the morning progressed, it started raining heavily. Though the volunteers were available on-site, the doctors were delayed. To make sure that the rain didn’t play spoilt-sport and to keep the enthusiasm going, the volunteers started the awareness drive again. They rallied within the premises with slogans such as, “Health is wealth, please come to free medical camp for kids” to keep people engaged. Once the doctors arrived, children started pouring in with their parents for the check-up. More than 100 kids participated in a span of 6 hours. The volunteers were applauded by the parents and the doctors alike for proactively taking up this initiative.
Here is what few of our volunteers had to say about their experience –
“The medical camp was a great success! Over a 100 children visited the camp. All the volunteers believed in the cause, worked really hard and were extremely motivated. The real success of the camp will be if the three children who were diagnosed with an illness that day get the medical assistance that they require. I, myself felt glad that the event turned out well.”
– Tarang, CRY Volunteer Bangalore, Madiwala PAG
“This was my first medical camp. On the weekend prior to the medical camp, we had gone to each house in the community and had informed them personally about the health camp and the free check up. Few kids had accompanied us on this drive. On the day of the camp, once it started raining, we decided to hold a rally to draw people’s attention. Kids from all age groups participated. Few new borns also visited the camp!”
– Sonali, CRY Volunteer Bangalore, Madiwala PAG
“The camp started at 9:30 am and went on till 3:30 pm. Children were earnest and seemed eager to take part in the check-up. I am glad to have been a part of this event. It ended on a happy note, with both kids and parents being content.”
– Deepika, CRY Volunteer Bangalore, Madiwala PAG
“I personally feel awareness for hygiene and population control is required and should be given utmost importance. Parents who attended the camp had 3-4 kids on an average. This drive made me realize that there is still a lot to be done in the field of hygiene, personal care etc at the ground level.”
-Alok, CRY Volunteer Bangalore, Madiwala PAG
All For One, One For All – a community walk, east PAG
The thundering sound of drum-beats, children shouting and volunteers screaming all the more flagged off the long-awaited East PAG Community Walk. The morning of July 8, 2017 was no different, monsoon clouds floated across the dull grey Bengaluru sky, denizens woke up to their monotony, party goers slept till late afternoon. Yet, this particular Saturday was different! Excited and enthralled children, purposeful volunteers, sharing, upholding the vision, education for all, marched through the alleys of Nellurupuram, L. B. Shastri Nagar, BEML Layout, off Old Airport Road in namma Bengaluru. Yellow placards in hand, thunder in our voices, attuned to the sound of drum-
beats and guided by the children we began at Nellurupuram Government School marching and screaming and shouting before terminating at the school to loud cheers, strained vocal chords, and a sense of achievement, a beginning.
It was a week of planning, of debating, of arguing, of gentle bickering to zero in on a day, to gather as many volunteers we could, all terminating on the 8th of July. I was pleasantly surprised and equally ecstatic to see our kids from school taking the lead. They screamed slogans of ‘Beku Beku, Shikshana Beku’, ‘Shaale Kade, Nanna Nade’ and ‘Badi Vaipe, Mana Adugu’ and we followed suit. They guided us through the narrow alleys to the settlements, pointed out to us children who have dropped out from school. We spoke to parents and cajoled them on sending their children to school and also to the children, jotting down their names. Even the children in the march questioned their fellow classmates on dropping out from school. But this does not stop here. A regular follow-up is essential and requires involvement from the school, volunteers and the community.
I think I speak for everybody when I claim that it was walk led and executed by children. We had no route-map, no expectations, and no concrete plan on executing the community walk if not for the children from school and children who randomly joined us as we paraded through the locality. I remember we chanced upon a kid, not more than 10 years, with his baby sister, who had dropped out from school. Upon prodding the reason for his absence so, we found out that his parents need to work and there is nobody to look after his baby sister. It surprised me that these stories, however cliched it may sound, continue to haunt the lives of children. We did talk to him about the Anganwadi School beside Nellurupuram School where his sister will be looked after when he is at school but we remain uncertain if he will come back to school. This kid is one of the many children who are denied their basic rights. Our efforts may move the mountain of the issues we see by a meager inch, a movement towards the right direction, nonetheless. And then there are stories of children who led the march, who screamed out slogans, honesty in their gait, willingness in their voices and the desire to learn in their hearts. They remind us that together we can change.
This experience is shared by Parikhit from JB Nagar
Children’s Day Out !!!
How many times we would have wished for a time machine in life so that we can travel back to our school days.
It was Children’s Day celebration in Government Primary and High School – Yeshwantpur, led by the volunteers and CRY, Bangalore. Students were so excited about the celebration. Their excitement spread joy to everyone.
Students gathered to start of the Community Walk with placards with messages on the rights of every child- education, survival and equal opportunities. The students were excited to start off for the Community Walk to create awareness in the community on the importance of happy and a healthy childhood.
Led by the sonorous school band that attracted the attention of the passersby, the community walk had students and volunteers walking for a cause.
“It’s good work by children, indulging in creating awareness and raising a voice for their rights”, said one of the onlookers.
Cause partner, Howard Johnson sponsored the refreshments for the children. When asked about how it feels to be working for a cause, Mahindra Ravit of Howard Johnson said,
“We feel very happy doing this. The kids seem happier than we are. We don’t know if it’s we who support them or them who support us.”
The event was inaugurated by Dr. Kripa Alva, Chairperson of KSCPCR in the presence of MLA- Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan. The event was initiated by watering the plants, rather than the clichéd way of lighting the torch, followed by the speakers addressing the children and teachers.
Students put up a great show in the cultural performances, The volunteers also made the students happier with their miming act which marked the end of the event.
This article has been written by Interns from SIMC Pune to relive the memories of Children’s day event held at Yeshwanthpur.
A Big Cheer to all of them !!!!
CRY volunteer interacting with community
Image Posted on Updated on
A to ascertain the need to put dropouts back to school. CRY north Bangalore PAG (People action group) has this on top of their agenda this month!
Sandesh says….
Sandesh a CRY Volunteer from Hyderabad who was a part of the enrollment drive for drop-out students from May-August 2011 says, “The Sun was scorching and the temperature was very high, but none of us felt the heat as we were completely involved with the people there.”
CRY Volunteers Bangalore 