After school tuition classes for over 20 Government school children are held daily in Nishtha community centre hall. Retired teacher Ravindra Kaur is training Sakhshi, one of our recent graduates and Nishtha staff Ravindra and Ankush to effectively help the children to read and understand their school work.
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Tim Robinson
Tim Robinson, a British medical student who recently spent his elective with us says:
Nishtha is essentially a GP surgery with very little equipment and medication options are limited. Despite this, it does an excellent job with the resources available. Dr. Barbara welcomed me openly not only into her clinical work but also her social life and day to day activities. I was isolated from the western world and my friends/other medical students but I was in no way lonely. I had the opportunity to be involved in lots of new techniques and clinical skills, experienced a completely different type of medicine in a completely different culture and was asked for my medical opinion from another doctor for the first time!
For Tim’s full report see: http://www.electives.net/hospital/4637
Sponsorship Students
The new group of 12 students sponsored through college by Nishtha are lucky to have our new Trustee Pooja Anand as their English teacher. Each Sunday they come for a meeting, have one hour on the computers with Vijay, sometimes learn local music and dance and now have very fun English classes. The students are all very happy to have this opportunity to get together.
Nishtha 2017 Calendar available now
You can purchase this bright and beautiful full colour calender for Rs 250 directly from Nishtha.
To order from within India please contact us – cost Rs. 300 each including postage.
To order from abroad please contact us – cost GBP 5, Euro/US$ 8 per copy.
Kindergarten Material Distribution
Thanks to the UK Trust donation, new games, building blocks, model animals, drums and balls delighted the children in the kindergartens on the mountainside last week, providing much needed stimulus.
Senior Single Women’s Meeting
Last week Nishtha Single Women’s team organized a vibrant 2 day residential seminar in Nishtha Community Center for 46 senior single women with Dr. Kishwar Shirali as the primary resource person. The slogan for the meeting was “Maan Ki Awaz Ka Agaj” which means, ‘’Begin to listen to the voice of the heart’’.
By the end of the packed 2 day programme everyone agreed that they would like to participate in future workshops to learn more about their rights and about what government schemes are available to them.
Please see the full report here.
Dr. Barbara at the Congress of the International Medical Women’s Association
Nishtha was represented by Dr. Barbara at the Congress of the International Medical Women’s Association which took place in Vienna from July 28th to 31st 2016. This colourful and stimulating event was attended by participants from 75 counties who met to discuss challenges facing the next generation of medical practitioners. Our associate, Dr. Edith Gahleitner talked about “Health Consequences of Violence Against Women in Rural North India”, a subject she researched while working with the Nishtha Single Women’s team of activists. We are very proud that she was honoured with the prestigious Lore Antoine prize for her thesis. With her input we aim to establish a mental health program at Nishtha to help survivors of domestic violence. Our poster on holistic health care in rural North India prepared to advertise our work at the Congress stimulated a great deal of interest.
The poster is available for download by clicking here.
Children’s Summer Holiday Program
July is the month when local schools have their summer holidays. This year Ravinder Kaur, a retired teacher who had been helping out in the school during her visit to family in Rakkar joined us and held a wonderfully interesting daily class for a steady group of 20-25 children each morning. Most stayed on or were complemented by others who came to our play sessions and computer classes every afternoon.
Nishtha’s Organic Farm
In order to increase the skills of our organic farming team, five of us visited the organic farm at Bir run by Spero Lacthis, our homeopathic outreach clinic doctor. We were full of curiosity and enthusiasm as we were shown the fields made in small circles surrounded by water channels, so that in the rainy season water can’t waterlog the plot and in summer water can seep into the fields. The channels stop insects from reaching the plants and the circular plots are easy to work.
We saw Spero’s very effective composting pits which we are emulating on our Nishtha farm and learned about micro organisms, looking at samples of clay and compost under the microscope learning to identify good and bad bacteria and fungus with the help of a chart.
Widow’s Day 2016
200 women from Nishtha’s Single Women’s group marked International Widow’s Day by organising a rally and march in Dharamsala to alert officials and the public to the needs of Single Women. Their lusty songs and shouted slogans echoed around the hills as they marched through the streets and ADC Rakesh Sharma met them and accepted their list of demands, assuring them that the Government is ready to hear and help them.
