Project Jatropha
Trust. Collaboration. Action
United We Stand: for Environmental Protection, Sustainability, Preventive Health Care and Alleviation of Poverty
Youth Health Camps
The goal of our Health Camps is to provide basic preventive health care coupled with nutritional intervention and health education to address the ongoing preventable diseases among rural youth near our project site in rural south India. Health Camps are held at rural hostels, selected schools, and orphanages.
The health camp consists of a personal hygiene workshop, a physical examination, and a pediatrician’s well-child check up. Our hands-on workshop teaches the children about the importance of personal hygiene in preventing communicable diseases. Basic hygiene techniques, such as hand washing, nail trimming, and cleaning are demonstrated. NSAIDs, first-aid kits, deworming agents, nail cutters, soaps, and towels are provided. Education regarding various water treatments to prevent waterborne diseases are provided for the students and staff.
Protein calorie malnutrition amongst rural children is a widespread condition in India. During our years of work with Project Jatropha, we have seen the prevalence and devastating effects on children during most vulnerable developmental years. Malnutrition leaves permanent negative consequences, including but not limited to economic and social burdens. We have developed a nutritional intervention program to tackle protein calorie malnutrition to help these rural children.
Under the guidance of Dr. Shylaja Dharmesh, a Senior Principal Scientist at the Central Food Technological Research Institute of the Government of India, we have proposed a low cost, environmentally sustainable nutritional supplement containing eggs and fresh fruits in addition to nutritional education. Through Global Call you Youth (GCY), we have established kitchen gardens in the rural hostel premises which are providing fresh fruits and vegetables that are becoming a regular part of the students’ diet. We have also collaborated with a neighboring banana plantation to supply bananas on a weekly basis to a participating rural hostel.. As of summer 2019, we have conducted twelve health camps and two nutritional intervention programs in villages in Hunsur, Mysore District, Thirthahalli Taluk, Shimoga District in Karnataka and Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu.
