​Beginning Fall 2016, GlobeMed at the University of South Carolina aims to help better the community in Orissa, India by supporting the following projects:

 

• Health awareness camps that educate villages on preventative care measures and available health resources

• Training program for newlywed women and pregnant mothers on proper antenatal and postnatal healthcare

• Distribution of mosquito nets to 100 families

• Provision of first aid kits to 30 village schools

• Provision of PE equipment to 30 village schools

• Provision tailoring machines to women as a way to create their own income

 

The best way to handle disease and illness is to prevent it from ever happening. Not only are preventative measures like hand washing and avoidance of environmental hazards generally easy to do but they are also far less expensive than the medicine or procedures that would be needed to treat the disease otherwise. For this reason, ARM is involved with a number of projects based on the principle of prevention, several of which are supported in part by GlobeMed USC:

 

Health camps – These are village-wide health seminars to educate villagers on the symptoms of common illnesses, proper hygiene and personal care, and on the health resources that are available to them in the community. GlobeMed at USC will help to fund ten health camps for ten different villages under ARM’s jurisdiction.

 

Training program on antenatal and prenatal health – Following up the GlobeMed-supported study on maternal health completed earlier this year, ARM plans to put on three two-day training programs for newly married and pregnant mothers on topics ranging from prenatal care and delivery preparedness to the symptoms of diseases commonly experienced by children. The women who get the opportunity to receive training can then return to their home villages and spread their newly learned information to all the other mothers. We’re hoping to fund the training of 90 women.

 

Mosquito nets – A simple mosquito net can protect families from disease-carrying mosquito nets, which are common vectors for diseases like malaria and dengue. We hope to help fund the provision of 300 nets to 100 families.

 

First aid kits for village schools – Currently, many village schools do not have the resources to care for common injuries experienced by school children. With our help, ARM hopes to provide first aid boxes to 30 village schools.

 

PE equipment for village schools – Not only are the effects of physical activity on weight and cardiovascular health well known, but helping kids to be active at school is one of the best ways to for schools to promote a healthy lifestyle among village children. With ARM, we hope to help provide 30 village schools with ways to make physical activity fun for their students.

 

With that said, ARM’s impact reaches past the realm of health and wellness:

 

Tailoring machines for women - We have also partnered with ARM to help provide tailoring machines to ten women, allowing them to prepare clothing for themselves and their families in addition to being able to generate extra income. This income, in conjunction with support from ARM, can help woman provide for their families, become more independent, and garner a bigger role in household decision-making.

 

All donations go towards making any number of these projects a reality. If you’re looking for a way to help impact lives in a meaningful way, keep ARM and GlobeMed in your thoughts.