Kids bring creativity, awareness to World Environment Day
Ganeshpuri, India— On June 5, the people of Ganeshpuri celebrated World Environment Day with activities organized by representatives from PRASAD Chikitsa, and from local schools and youth groups. At the Primary School of Ganeshpuri, enthusiastic children created drawings and Rangoli to express how trees benefit both people and the environment. Read more…
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Donor, Margareta Blix, is celebrating the life of her beloved late sister, Gudrun, with a grant of up to $20,000 that will provide a dollar-to-dollar match for new donations to PRASAD Children's Dental Health Program (PRASAD CDHP) received through October 31, 2010. Read more...
“Paddlers for Humanity” Open Ocean Paddle to benefit PRASAD Children’s Dental Health Program
Sunday, September 5th
(rain date September 6th)
Save the Date & Register!
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Midwife Training - Ancient Traditions Meet Modern Medicine
The
PRASAD Chikitsa Reproductive Child Health Center (RCH) was established
in 2002, with support from PRASAD donors around the globe, and midwife
(dai) training has been a key component ever since.
The program’s documented achievements include a significant increase in the number of infants whose birth weight exceeds India’s national average weight of 2.7 kg. (about 5 pounds, 10 ounces.)
By custom, each dai learns about pregnancy and childbirth from her mother-in-law,
who learned from her mother-in-law, and so on. Through countless generations,
that hard-won knowledge is carefully gathered and shared; many dais today
are a living legacy of that valuable tradition.
The staff of PRASAD’s RCH Center are educated in prenatal, natal, neonatal and postnatal care, and they know that a well-trained dai can make the difference between life and death for a mother and her baby.
The
Center offers three trainings each year, where dais supplement their
traditional knowledge as they learn about preventing infection, how to
identify high risk factors or complications and how to refer or transfer
pregnant women to a medical facility. The curriculum also includes lessons
in anatomy and physiology, cleanliness, nutrition, the stages of pregnancy,
normal and abnormal labor and delivery, and the birth and care of newborns.
Also
on the training agenda are classes in Yoga techniques of meditation and
exercise, which are taught by coordinator Kanchan Patil. Kanchan, who
also serves as a translator, explains, “We do a lot with our
hands, like sweeping, sometimes using one hand or
arm more than the other. This can cause neck pain. Exercising and stretching help to prevent that,
helping us to keep both sides of the body healthy. Other exercises, like
the cat pose, can help to prevent pain in the lower back. Breathing exercises
help us to get more oxygen.”
This fusion of preferred medical practices with the local culture’s tradition of historical knowledge and spiritual awareness brings together the best of both old and new ways of fostering well being. The result is a holistic program that is as unique as it is effective.
Click here for more about the PRASAD Chikitsa’s Reproductive and Child Health Center and other Community Health Programs.