Incredible Winter Abroad in India

Elizabeth Krawczun, Verrazano Class of 2014, has returned from her winter study abroad experience in Jamkhed, India.  Read below for her perspective on the experience.  More detailed explanations of the photographs are available at the end of the post. 

My study abroad in India was an opportunity that I will not forget. I met some wonderful people who have donated their lives to the hospital and its work. I made some good friends, both fellow students and staff in the facility, who are driven and determined to help others. I saw the poverty of some villagers and mistreatment of women. Further, I came to realize that I do want to pursue public health. Before travelling to India, I had some reservations about what I had chosen as my intended major and future career path. While abroad, it became clear to me that public health is where I would like my work to be directed.

I am going to miss many of the people I spent the last three weeks getting to know. Becoming a part of the “CRHP family," as they say, was an emotional experience on its own. Despite the short amount of time there, I became attached to the people through their stories. Every woman trained by CRHP as a health worker in her village had a story. Having the opportunity to see these women fight against their oppression and become empowered was beautiful.

It was difficult to not be affected by the level of poverty and gender inequality when walking through the villages and cities. As Westerners, we were all struck by how differently people live and we all felt a little ashamed of how well we live and how secure we feel in the United States.

The purpose of this study abroad was to do exactly that; to force us to realize that these people have next to no way of changing their situation. CRHP’s goal is to provide the people with resources to solve some of the most basic problems - to shift the focus of biomedicine from curative to preventative. When walking through the villages, I was able to see how the villagers had implemented some of the changes and how bringing resources and health care capability to the people was the best solution to combat the growing rate of disease.

This study abroad had its own difficulties, one of which was communicating with non-CRHP administrators. This was sometimes a struggle. I was able to pick up some words in Marahti, but never really learned enough to do more than ask for tea. Secondly, it was very tough being an American there. Three of my fellow students were of Indian descent. I drew the most attention because I was tall in an area where the average height is 5’2” and have a very light complexion. In the cities, and when we travelled to two religious sites, people would circle us and take pictures, silently take videos, and corner us, laughing, and snapping pictures. Many times, people would come up and ask if we would take a picture with them. Again, I was singled out for being the fairest and the tallest. It was very uncomfortable, and some of the rest of the group and I never quite felt safe outside of the hospital grounds. 

This study abroad was an experience that I will never forget. It is not meant for students who want to have a good time or learn the history and go site-seeing. We studied and discussed the village trips more than reading from a textbook or having formal classes. This program is for students who do not mind living in sparse conditions with few amenities outside of the necessities. When people now ask me, “How was India? Did you have fun?” I don’t quite know what to say. I had an interesting educational and emotional journey, but I cannot call most of my time there “fun." I did have fun with students and interns at CRHP, but the actual course was down and dirty. The professor I travelled with and the directors of the hospital wanted us to see village life for what it really was. I would go back to study and contribute to the hospital in any way I can. I am grateful for this study abroad experience and appreciate the opportunity to share in such a wonderful cause.

Photo Descriptions

The first picture shows one of the times that the group was greeted into the home of one of the village health workers. Generally, special guests are greeted with the placing of red and yellow paint on the forehead, the giving of sweets, the kissing and painting of the feet and, and the burning of incense. This particular woman also gave each of us a coconut, which is considered a good omen.  

The second picture is of a girl carrying a pot of water from the water truck to her home. This part of India, on the Deccan Plateau, is experiencing a severe drought and has had no rainfall for over a year. Because there was next to no crop yield, no drinking and bathing water, and less sanitation in the villages, disease and dehydration are major problems. Thirty years ago, CRHP built tube wells in poorer areas that would collect and store the ground water. Now, these tube wells are dry and the government is now intervening and sending water trucks to the villages. One of the main concerns, however, is that some villages have water trucks come every day, while others only get water once a week. Because India is very corrupt, areas where the mayor knows one of the government officials are able to pay off the official and have access to more water. 

The third picture is of me at Sancrant, the women’s festival. At this point, the group and I had left the first mosque and were about to travel to a temple to continue the celebration. During this festival, women bless each other with the red and yellow paint, sesame seeds, and sweets. 

The fourth picture was taken during a trip to the Buddhist caves of Ajanta, located in the Aurangabad district. The entrances to the caves are all along the edge of this cliff-like area. It is believed that these caves were built between the second and seventh century. The sculpture within these caves was amazing, as were the paintings and murals on the walls. These caves were discovered in the early nineteenth century. 

The last picture shows a village health worker demonstrating how she takes the blood pressure of the villagers. The equipment that these workers have is out-of-date and the hospital is trying to provide more advanced basic equipment with donor contributions.

 

Beyond Tourism: Studying Healthcare Principles in Rural India

Elizabeth Krawczun, a CUNY BA Epidemiology major in the Verrazano Class of 2014, is studying abroad in Jamkhed, India for the winter intersession through Brooklyn College.  As a Verrazano Study Abroad Scholarship recipient, Elizabeth is sharing her study abroad experience on the Verrazano Voyager.  Read below to learn more about Elizabeth's experience in India.

While in India, I am having the opportunity to see what few want to see. Much of the area near where I am staying is poor villages and unfertile farmland. The drought here has affected everyone and the government has now stepped in to provide some water to the villages. Disease and death have increased tremendously during this time. With the lack of safe drinking and bathing water, many more villagers are sick.

A woman working in a rural Indian village

During this time of drought, the ideas behind the creation of the Comprehensive Rural Health Project (CRHP) reflect the need to provide healthcare by identifying the root of the problem. Instead of only treating the patients who have disease, CRHP is trying to provide a means by which the villagers can have some sustainable solution. In this time of drought, CRHP has been building tube-wells to harvest the ground water beneath the earth and providing firewood so that the water can be boiled before drinking.

During the classes, we all learn these principles. The lectures are taught by the Director of the facility, Dr. Shoba Arole. Her parents began this project in 1970 and now she is in charge of managing the hospital.

My group has had the opportunity to take tours of two villages. I have been able to see what many do not want to see. It is difficult to walk through these villages. Most people live in unsanitary conditions and leprosy, tuberculosis, and AIDS patients are common. The children of these villages are amazed by a group of Americans and they always want their picture taken. Women silently wash clothing or grind up grains for chipotle. The men who are not field laborers quietly drink tea and sit along the road. The towns, however, are loud, bustling, and just as unsanitary. Street vendors and store clerks harass you, and the art of bargaining must be learned quickly. 

Market day in Jamhked

Both towns and villages, however, are set in tradition. During my time here, there have been two cultural festivals; Dawali and Sancrant. Sancrant is a women’s festival that is celebrated in January each year. Women visit their local temples and carry a tray covered by a cloth and flowers. On this tray, there are red and yellow paint, sesame seeds, and sugar cubes. Women walk through the temple and place the red and yellow paint on your forehead, throw the sesame seeds on the top of your head, and then give you a handful of sugar to eat.

Elizabeth participating in a blessing ritual during Sacrant

The two temples that I visited were completely filled and women fought to bless everyone who entered the building. Attending this festival put the material that I had been learning in lectures into perspective. On this one day women are celebrated and acknowledged. Meanwhile, they are abused and mistreated during the rest of the year. CRHP has made it a priority to do away with the gender inequality in this area. By teaching women about disease and treatment, using the resources available to them in the village, the facility aims to target one of the root causes of the health in the area.

In my time here, I have learned a huge amount about topics I would have otherwise known nothing about. I feel as though, in this study abroad, I am not just being treated as a tourist and seeing only a façade that hides the real problems. I have had the opportunity to see the poverty and filth of the villages, the torment and abuse of the women, and the sick and dying patients in the hospital. CRHP does not attempt to gloss over the unpleasant things for its visitors. Instead, the directors here are trying to show us everything, making sure that we understand how much areas like this need help and willing us to bring awareness to their cause.

Healthcare in Jamkhed, India: A Winter Intersession Experience

Elizabeth Krawczun, a CUNY BA student with a concentration in Epidemiology and a member of the Verrazano Class of 2014, is spending the winter intersession in rural India.  Elizabeth received a Verrazano Study Abroad Scholarship to help support her study abroad experience.  Read below for her first blog post.

Seven months ago, I certainly did not expect to be starting 2013 in rural India. The Brooklyn College program in “Global Health” is very applicable to my major in Epidemiology. I was surprised and excited to see this study abroad course offered. The majority of the study abroad courses I researched sounded lovely and promised to be educational and an unforgettable experience. What struck me about this study abroad, in particular, was that its purpose was to immerse students into the lives of villagers in rural India.  

India, while a growing global power, possesses an extreme discrepancy in distribution of wealth, power, and standard of living among its citizens. The rural villages within Jamkhed, where I will be studying, are undeveloped and the people there live in severe poverty and lack the basic services that we, as Americans, take for granted. Diseases that have been eradicated for decades in the United States continue to inflict India’s impoverished areas.

I will be housed and study at the Comprehensive Rural Health Project in Jamkhed. This facility was first established in 1970 and is now recognized by the World Health Organization as the “Jamkhed Model”. This model is quickly being adopted by many health care facilities in the southeast and has gained international attention. The two founders of the project created this model with the idea that doctors should not have a monopoly of knowledge; that knowledge of disease treatment and preventative health care measures should and must be brought to the people. 

To begin the transition towards this new design, a young woman was chosen and trained by the staff at the hospital in identifying common diseases, like leprosy, administering some treatments and educating the villagers. These “Village Health Care Workers” faced a huge amount of discrimination and mistreatment. There was and still is a huge amount of gender inequality in India and the founders of the program believed that this inequality was one of the major factors contributing to the high death rates and low standard of life.

In this study abroad course, I will learn and study the Jamkhed Model and be able to discuss why or this outline could or could not be applied, with success, to other countries and other methods of, as the doctors in Jamkhed call it, “biomedicine.” Relating this design to others, based on numbers and statistics, is not enough. The international and intranational politics, including non-governmental organizations’ intervention and foreign aid, must be factored in.

During my time there, my group will visit some of the surrounding villages and have the opportunity to observe the Jamkhed Model in its application. It will be difficult to see the state of some of these areas, and I have been warned of some of the dangers associated with being a Westerner there. We will meet the Village Health Workers and be able to see the good that they do. The course syllabus is flexible because there are likely going to be times when we will be called away to see a surgery or medical procedure, either in the Program’s compound, or in a nearby village. 

In the past, students have been present for medical procedures, for example, cataract surgeries and child births performed by a midwife. I have always been interested in medicine and have seriously considered medical school, but chose the major in Epidemiology because I feel as though medicine can sometimes be too distant and that a patient can easily be considered only as far as what symptoms he or she presents. What most attracted me to this course, and why it corresponds with my major, is that the focus is on the people. Training the people to care for and educate the people comes before the medicine. One of the goals of the founders was to prioritize preventative measures over curative medicine.

I am grateful for the opportunity to travel abroad to observe such an amazing mission. However, there are many safety precautions that have to be taken. Along with routine vaccinations, I have had to take malaria prophylaxis, along with typhoid, Japanese Encephalitis and several other vaccinations. In addition, there are fairly strict codes of dress, particularly for women. In Jamkhed, all the women wear saris. The females in my group and I have been told that we will only need to wear a sari when traveling to the larger villages and the two holy sites that we will visit. At all times, we must have our legs covered to around mid-calf and shirts that are loose and cover our backside. Scarves should always be worn, as one never knows when a head-scarf will be needed to cover long hair, which is considered to be suggestive and inappropriate in some areas.

The weather varies greatly during this time of year. The days generally reach 85 degrees, while the nights are around 40 degrees. The housing areas do not have heat, air conditioning, hot water, and flooring. Bottled water is provided by the Project and visitors are counseled against using any other water. Luckily, all meals are provided by the facility and, again, foreigners are advised not to eat anything from street vendors.

The first hurdle I have to get over will be the daunting task of sitting on a non-stop flight for fifteen hours, immediately followed by a nine hour bus ride. 

I know that this experience will be life-changing and am very much looking forward to this once in a lifetime opportunity. I cannot wait for my journey to begin.