Veerni

Veerni Project

Global Foundation for Humanity
Jodhpur
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info@veerni.org

Educating and empowering rural Indian girls and women

Health Outreach

Health Outreach

Together with partner organisations Veerni regularly organises
health camps in the desert areas around Jodhpur.
Whilst the camps are open for all, the main focus is on women's
health issues.  Lectures are given covering some of the following
topics:  
  • Reproductive healthcare
  • Pre- and post natal care
  • Family planning
  • Anaemia
  • Child care and immunizations
  • Education on hygiene and related issues
  • AIDS
  • Nutrition

 
 
ANAEMIA
 
Many women visiting the health camps are diagnosed with anaemia.
In India more than 50 % of adult women are anaemic, a percentage
that is much higher in rural Rajasthan. Furthermore, most children
and young girls turn out to be at risk, with 60 to 70 % of adolescent
girls being anaemic.

Anaemia among women can result in adverse pregnancy outcomes
and severe anaemia can lead to maternal deaths; reduced work
productivity and impaired physical capabilities are other adverse
outcomes. Adolescence, as a period of growth and development, is
considered the best time to intervene, to assist in physical and
mental development, and to prevent later maternal anaemia. Despite
the magnitude of the problem, no strategies exist in Indian public
health programs to tackle iron deficiency in adolescent girls.

 


HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS in India India's HIV population has increased by more than 10% in the past year. India now has some 5.2 million people living with HIV, more than any other country in the world. In 1992, the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) was established but initially failed to focus on the causes of the disease. It was preoccupied with cleaning the blood supply and screening foreigners. At the 2006 meeting of the Asia Society, Dr. Sujatha Rao, the Secretary and Director General of NACO confessed that the early government strategy was flawed in that it took almost a decade to understand HIV.

NACO is rolling out a national HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment program, focusing on six high-prevalence states, targeting marginalized populations. Sex workers and truck drivers have been the main focus. However, 57% of infections occur in rural India and 37% of reported cases in people between the ages 15-29. According to UN Population Division estimates, nearly 50 million Indians will die from AIDS-related diseases between 2015 and 2050.

Increased mobility, economic development and urbanization exacerbate women's HIV risk. Women now comprise 38% of the infected population, yet 70% of women in rural areas have never heard of the virus. A married woman's ability to negotiate safe sex is almost non-existent. In 2004, the India Post reported that 22% of cases were among housewives with a single partner. Women who contract HIV from their husbands are often blamed and ostracized by their communities (Priya Bery and Chapal Mehry).


 
 
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The Global Foundation for Humanity, The Veerni Project, 35 Cunningham Drive, Monroe, NY 10950
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