Matru Schaya

Where We Work

1. MATRU SCHAYA SOCIAL WELFARE SOCIETY BHANDARAJ
CFCD PROJECT “Child Focused Community Development” has been a boon to the tribal people of Melghat as the people are becoming aware of their rights and duties towards their development. All the planning and activities are geared towards development of the tribals. During the course of the year people have benefited a lot through the project activities. They are happy and there is no doubt that Matru Schaya is with them to help them and support them.

Education - an integral part of life:
Under the education component 6 ECC centres are operational in 6 target villages, where the children found a second home to come and learn, sing and dance. In the beginning the children were frightened and were hesitant to come to the centres. Gradually the ECC teachers built rapport with the children and the parents, the children themselves started coming to the centres as soon as they saw their teacher. This year there are more than 278 children in 6 ECC centres.

School going children:
The school going children , bubbling with joy, happily attend the support class regularly conducted in all the 10 villages early in the morning before their school begins. This year we had more than 599 children in 10 villages. The children were given ample opportunities to grow and different competitions like drawing, dancing singing were held for generating interest in them for education. 247 children were given notebooks, pens and pencils, which created interest among the children. 98% of them appeared for their annual exams and all have done well. Special emphasis was laid on the dropout children of the villages. More than 100 children are studying in the boarding or the Govt. Ashram schools as the villages have got only primary education. People are taking trouble to enroll their children in the Ashram school or boarding school.

Child Parliament:
Children from Child Parliament are doing well and becoming responsible in taking up issues in their villages. They have taken up much collective action like cleaning of the village, school premises. They made people aware of the environment and importance of trees and the effect of climate change. They have vowed themselves to plant trees in their vicinity. Through skits and songs they have made people aware of planting more trees. There are 22 CP in all the target communities.

Health and Nutrition:
Health and Nutrition is one of the important components for the growth of children. The children attending ECC classes and supplementary classes have been provided with nutritious supplementary food, which has increased the weight of the children and improved their health status.

Health Education and Medical Check Up:
Incessant efforts have made to make people understand the importance of health in 10 target villages. The malnourishment rate has gone down from 8 to 1. ANC and PNC mothers too have learnt to take care of themselves and their children. They have been provided with health talks and medicines whenever required. The Anaemic mothers are given special treatment with personal attention and many mothers Haemoglobin has increased from 8 to 11 grams. HIV test is also done free of cost with much awareness.

Skill Development:
The project gave opportunity to 10 tribal young girls to learn the skill of stitching and home management, health and hygiene and leadership. This year 4 of them appeared for the State Government diploma Exam in cutting and tailoring. Those of who have finished the course have started stitching at home and earning Rs.100 per day. The families of the girls are happy as they become responsible in their homes and outside.

Livelihood Interventions:
There are 12-farmer clubs in 10 target villages with 234 members. Monthly meetings are conducted in each village. The farmers were given demonstration on crop varieties and mix cropping. The farmers went in for mix varieties cotton and tur, soyabean and tur and jowar and mung. During the rabbi crop the farmers cultivated wheat and channa along side. More than 50%farmers have gone in for a second crop of wheat and channa and groundnut cultivation. Seeds were distributed to 32 farmers with the help of the farmers club. 35 SHG were provided with kitchen garden seeds to promote kitchen garden in the target villages. The women worked hard and grew vegetables and sold them for Rs. 2000 to 3000/-. 14 landless families and widows were given goats. The families are taking good care of them. They have 42 small goats being reared in their houses. The people have learnt to manage their life and earn money.

Watershed Program:
Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) sanctioned 96 metric tonnes of wheat towards food for Community Development work. This program was undertaken in 6 villages of Amravati and Akola districts. This has reduced migration to a great extent.

Asha Kirin Balwadies:
State Social Welfare Board Mumbai funds 5 units of day-crèche consisting of 125 children. This year Mr. More from Mumbai inspected the units and was happy to see the improvement in the children. Regular meetings with parents, made them aware of the progress of the children and they were given awareness on various issues like cleanliness, personal hygiene and care of children. The parents are happy to see the improvement in their children.

II MATRU SCHAYA HEALTH CENTRE, BHANDARAJ:
This year the health centre cared and treated 12010 patients out of 5842 from mobile clinic and 6168 from health centre and it was with a Holistic approach to health. Besides, the centre promotes ayurvedic treatment for various diseases and prepares tonics, cough syrups, churnum and various oils for body aches and joint pain.

Eye Check up once a month:
The doctors come from Kottara Community Hospital Paratwada on a regular basis on 2nd Fridays of every month. This year we had 335 ophthalmic patients had their vision tested and they are treated with the subsidized rates. 56 Cataract Surgeries were done through our health centres at Kottara Hospital and in PHC.

Gynaecological Check up:
A regular Gynaec check-up is being carried out on 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month by Doctor Swathi Gawande from Akot. 128 Gynaec cases were treated and high-risk cases were referred to at Dr. Swati’s Hospital at Akot. In collaboration with the same Doctor we had organized a gynaec medical Camp in the tribal area. 568 gynaec cases were checked and treated with medicines and the follow up was carried out in our health centre. This year 9 deliveries were conducted in our health Centre. Though we get many ANC patients for check up, for delivery they go to Government Hospital because they get free services there and also get money when they are discharged.

Paediatric Check up:
Dr. Manoj from Akot comes regularly on 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month to our health Centre. 650 Children were treated with minimum charges. Many children were suffering from malnutrition and anaemia. With timely check up, medicines, and health education and with special treatment of aloe Vera tonics and triftin biscuits the children gained weight and then immunity power increased.

Surgery Check up:
Third Friday of every month Doctors from Padhar Hospital come on a regular basis for surgery check up. They render free services to us. This year 287 patients were clinically diagnosed for various surgeries and 8 were cancer patients. All these patients went to Padhar Hospital for further treatment.

Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre for HIV
Our centre is working in collaboration with National Aids Control Organization (NACO). This year we had 130 HIV tests done in our health centre. On the third day of every month the report is sent to Irvin Hospital at Amravati.

Awareness program on HIV/AIDS
To celebrate World Health HIV/AIDS Day Matru Schaya Health Centre organized a rally in collaboration with local schools, in the villages on 1st of December 2010. At the end of the rally, a team of Doctors from Rural Hospital Anjangaon highlighted the causes, symptoms and preventive measures of this dreaded disease through talks and display of posters.

side health education was given to the mothers to prepare balanced diet for children with the materials that are locally available.

ANC& PNC mothers were given special care, education and treatment in collaboration with Government health schemes. 50% of the ladies go to the hospital for their deliveries

IV ANAND SAGAR, DAY CRECHE. CHIKALDRA:
This year, 20 children were given special care and nutrition. This helped in reducing malnutrition. Mothers were given health awareness on baby care, cleanliness, hygiene and timely balanced diet. The parents were happy to see the improvement of the children.

Grihini Training Centre, Chkaldara:
This year 17 tribal girls completed the cutting and tailoring course and appeared for the exam. All of them passed with good marks. Sewing machines were provided to each of them.

Beside the syllabus of Sewing, women’s rights, herbal treatment and home remedies, health and hygiene, HIV/AIDS, craft and kitchen garden were some of the additional topics taken up. After the completion of the course machines were provided to the trainees.

V. ADIVASI VIKAS KENDRA, SHILONDA
Women Empowerment Programme:
Adivasi Vikas Kendra is totally working for the tribes of Shilonda and the surrounding area of 13 villages. 88 S.H.G’s out of which 22 groups have income generation and the other savings. Women’s Day was celebrated on 14th March 2011. In order to make this day a memorable one, the women collected rice and cash. It was admirable and mind blowing to see their local contribution, which was more than sufficient for 1000 people.

Housing Project:
We have completed building 50 houses. All these families are happy to have a house of their own. Their dreams and aspirations of having a concrete house has been fulfilled.

Cowherd School:
This year 200 children from 10 hamlets attended classes regularly and have learnt to read and write. These children have no future in life, they remain at home to take care of their siblings or graze the cattle when their parents go out to work.

Health Centre Shilonda:
We motivate our patients and their relative on preventive, curative and promotive aspects of health by giving them health awareness and introducing them to herbal medicines. We treat an average of 40 – 50 patients daily.

Mobile Clinic:
The remote villages are in need of our medical help and care. We visit them personally and give them health education and treatment. Once a week the mobile clinic is made available to them.

Boarding:
We have 100 children in the boarding. De-worming is done twice a year and we treat them for prevention of anaemia, malaria and scabies. Monthly, health education is given to the children on various topics. On 22nd August 2010 Rotary Club of Dhanu came to do the blood test for Thalassamia. Only one girl was detected with thalassamia.

Referral Services:
Many patients are referred to Pardi Hospital at Gujarat for heart diseases, brain tumour, cancer and surgical problems. One patient was detected with breast cancer and treatment has been started in Tata Memorial Hospital Mumbai. The follow up was carried out.

Medical Camp:
A free medical camp was organized in collaboration with Holy Spirit Hospital Mumbai. 800 patients benefited through this camp and they received free treatment and medicines.