Inspiring

Just had 2 days at Asha doing clinics, meeting the community health volunteers and students from the slums who are going through uni. Asha is really inspiring. Here are their values:

which I think I ll adopt as my own. Asha works in 60 slums both Hindu and Muslim and teaches and works out these values in a totally non - preachy way. 

What was most impressive was meeting students who Asha have sponsored through university determined to live these values and give back to their original slum community. Those who have finished university mentor the ones now going though, who in turn mentor aspiring school students and so on. The effect on their families and communities is immense- this is transformation of people's lives in a way that is hard to describe .......suffice to say it is living and breathing Gods Kingdom without trying to convert or manipulate anyone. Truly inspiring.

The clinics are not that different to Swanley duty surgeries - lots of people wanting second opinions for problems they have had for years, interspersed with the occasional really ill patient. The main plus is that you haven't got the computer nagging you to do QOF stuff and the main downside is that there's usually no record of what drugs they've been given or investigations done. The range of possible conditions is wider and need to be vigilant for TB and HIV. But in practice these are very rare with improving sanitation , vaccination and health promotion. Their vaccination rates are better than Swanley!!

Sarah had been doing antenatal clinics which are also challenging in terms of knowing what to do if you pick up anything Abnormal although there is access to simple blood tests and also ultrasound if really necessary.

There is now water and better sanitation in the slums but still much grinding poverty. In our first slum the main occupation was cutting and trimming flip flop straps. 40p for a paper recycling sized bag of straps which would take about a day to do