I returned to India on Wednesday, first spending a few days in Calcutta before traveling the 400 kilometers to Bodhgaya on Sunday. The journey by train took me through forests, lush green countryside and fields of baby rice seedlings nurtured by a healthy monsoon.
Back in Bodhgaya where I previously lived and worked for several years, I'm enjoying seeing friends and colleagues and hearing about the progress of the health program here at Root Institute. Staff we hired some years back have blossomed into successful health workers and village health programs are now flourishing under their guidance. It's gratifying to see the momentum that has been sustained over the years.
The photos above come from a mural we painted four years ago to use as a backdrop for health teaching. The scenes depict various scenarios at the village level that promote healthy ways of living:
- promoting use of pit latrines for sanitation;
- preventing burns caused by open fires;
- polio prevention with immunization for infants and young children;
- improved family nutrition with harvests from backyard gardens.
Later this week, I'll travel to mystical Varanasi on the banks of the Ganga, an important pilgrimage site for India's Hindus. And then on to Delhi and a side-trip to the hill station of Nainital (to escape the heat).
No comments:
Post a Comment