21ST ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 About the organization This logo symbolizes the objectives of the organization. Ÿ The words in the outer circle are from the great Indian epic "Mahabharat", saying that "nothing is above a Human". This is also the motto of the organization. Ÿ The triangle in the inner circle symbolizes the hands of three people and stands for community development through participation. Ÿ The light from the lamp in the small hut in the centre symbolizes the development of the weakest and poorest person of the community. Founder trustees of the organization were inspired by Gandhian thinking and work of great men like Albert Schweitzer. They felt deeply the agony and hopelessness of poor villagers. They saw the plight of villagers and felt a need of medical services in these villages. Hence they brought like minded friends together and founded Gram Seva Trust, an organization dedicated to rural health and development. In 1994 the trust started a 30 bedded hospital with 5 staff members in an old dilapidated building, given by another trust. As the need arose the hospital was expanded to accommodate more patients and better services. Today after 20 years the hospital can accommodate 80 patients and has all basic facilities required in a rural hospital providing health services at affordable rates and sometimes free of charge to the needy from nearly 200 surrounding villages of Navsari and Dang districts. The organization also wanted to improve health of the surrounding villages hence as and when need was identified different community projects were started in the surrounding villages with main focus on health and development of women and children. Immense efforts are put in to decrease malnutrition. Gram Seva Trust also reaches out to the tribals in deep interior villages of Vansda and Dang through satellite centers and general medical mega camps arranged every year. The organization has also started different projects for development of villages like Self Help Group project (a micro saving and micro lending project for women), trainings for income generation activities, adolescent girl project, tutorial classes to strengthen primary education and a Child Education and Development Centre to improve standard of education in children of landless labourers. Vision Ÿ Healthy, Happy, Self sufficient and Self-Empowered Rural communities. Mission Ÿ Cater to the Health need of every individual in the society irrespective of caste, creed or economic status. Ÿ Render special care to women and children of our society. Ÿ Promote curative and preventive measures in order to improve the general well being of the society. Ÿ Uplift social and economical status as well as rural development with scientific and rational approach. Ÿ Create awareness for healthy qualitative life and development. Governing Board Members No. Name Position In Board Address 1. Dr. Ashwin A. Shah Managing Trustee Kharel 2. Mr. Nalinbhai J. Desai Trustee & Hon. Secretary Surat 3. Dr. Harsha A.Shah Trustee Kharel 4. Mr. Nalinbhai T. Desai Trustee Dhamdachha 5. Mr. Dipakbhai A. Vashi Trustee Dhamdachha 6. Mr. Moghabhai L. Naik Trustee Pipaldhara 7. Mr. Dinubhai R. Patel Trustee Khaparia 8. Dr. Anilbhai C. Desai Trustee Jhagadia 9. Mr. Chhaganbhai P. Naik Trustee Surat 10. Dr. Ratna Magotra Trustee Mumbai 11. Dr. Khushroo Patel Trustee Mumbai / USA Advisors Shri Dhananjaybhai Desai Valsad Dr.Lataben Desai SEWA Rural, Jhagadia Shri I.J.Desai Surat Annual Report : 2014-2015 Gram Seva Trust, Kharel Editorial The organization has completed 21 years and entered its 22nd year of health and development services. It is very heartening to present to you, the annual activities and financial report for the year 2014-15. This report is concise as the 20 year report was also published this year. The Service NGO project for maternal and child services in interior villages of Vansda was started with support from National Health Mission. The organization has also continued the sanitation project to build toilets in surrounding villages. Our satellite centre at Mahal was started five years ago in an office belonging to the District Water Department. This year we had to close the centre as the department needed their office for internal use. The behaviour of the government officials was disheartening but such experiences are a part of public services. We welcome your suggestions and guidance and hope you are receiving our four monthly newsletter also. If not kindly inform us. With warm wishes and thank you. Dt. 11-11-2015 Dr.Ashwin Shah Shri.Nalin Desai Place: Kharel (Managing Trustee) ( Hon. Secretary) 1 Gram Seva Trust, Kharel Annual Report : 2014-2015 children New Projects: 3. Community participation 4. Behaviour Change Communication SNGO Mankunia Project 5. Human Resource development and Capacity building After successfully completing SNGO project in Chikhli block for 6 years, District Health Department asked 6. Monitoring and Evaluation us to adopt few villages in Vansda block as they were 7. Reporting lacking in maternal and child health indicators. The 13 Thus this project was started to improve the maternal villages under Mankuniya and 2 under Ankalacch PHC and child health in 13 villages of Mankuniya and were selected in this project because they were the 2 villages of Ankalacch PHC by providing clinical most interior and remote villages of Navsari district. health services to remote interior areas and social The villages were situated on the border of Gujarat development activities in collaboration with community and Maharashtra; houses were scattered over a (through village committees and PRIs), district/block large geographical area made up of hills and forest, level government health staff, ICDS department, and hence this population remained underserved and traditional and private health care providers and services were underutilized. other community based organizations. The project Poverty, illiteracy, poor hygiene & sanitation, water was inaugurated on 2nd December 2014 by the scarcity during summer, large family size, less use of Navsari District Collector Smt.Remya Mohan, District contraception, teenage marriages and pregnancies, Development Officer Shri Chandanani and the District superstitions and strong hold of traditional healers, etc Health Department in presence of local community contributed to poor health indicators in this area. leaders and villagers. Core issues identified by base line survey, focus group discussions, secondary data from Anganwadi workers, Sanitation Project (Phase 2) PHC and Field NGOs were as described below: Health and Hygiene always go hand in hand. Yet 46% 1. High maternal mortality and infant mortality of the rural households don’t have any toilets. The 2. Low percentage of complete Ante-natal Care organization started helping families to build toilets as 3. Low couple protection rate a part of its sanitation project. This year 38 toilets were built by raising funds from the government schemes, 4. High prevalence of reproductive tract infections families themselves, funding agencies and voluntary 5. High percentage of under-nutrition in 0-5 years of donors. Thus this project is based upon collective children participation of different stakeholders. 6. High proportion of LBW in newborn babies Keeping these issues in view, GST proposed to provide preventive and curative services to these villages with Permanent Projects the following objectives — 1. To increase complete and qualitative Ante-Natal Hospital Services Care from 28% to 60% 2. Early detection of all high risk pregnant women Hospital and 100% safe institutional delivery of them The hospital continues to serve a population of over 3. To decrease malnutrition in 0-3 year children by 300 villages of Gandevi, Vansda, Chikhli , Mahuwa 10 % and Dang in medicine, paediatrics, gynaecology, ophthalmology, surgery, orthopaedic, skin, ent, The following strategies have been selected to achieve nephrology, dental, physiotherapy services. the above mentioned objectives — 1. Service delivery Annapurna Bhojnalay 2. Regular follow up of ANC, PNC and 0 to 3 year Our Annapurna Bhojnalay provides free food to all 2 Annual Report : 2014-2015 Gram Seva Trust, Kharel Health Education and Access to Services is the need of the community 17 year old Ranjan was resident of Kharoli Village on the borders of Chikhli Block about 15 km away from Kharel. Ranjan’s family was poor and she along with her parents worked as farm labourers for their daily wages. While visiting her village our field workers met Ranjan and found her very pale. On further questioning she affirmed that she felt weak, tired easily and was sometimes breathless. Our workers informed Ranjan and her parents that these were signs of Anaemia and she needed immediate medical check up and treatment. Her parents were not able to afford even minimum expenses for Ranjan’s treatment. Seeing their financial condition our workers assured them that her check up and treatment shall be done free of charge. They will have to bear only the travel expenses to the Hospital at Kharel. At the Hospital Ranjan’s laboratory tests showed that she suffered from severe iron deficiency anaemia due to poor nutritional intake. Her Haemoglobin was just 5gm%. Ranjan was counselled to take iron tablets daily for one year and come every month for checkup at the hospital. She was assured free treatment for the whole year. Ranjan diligently completed her treatment for one year. After one year her Haemoglobin had increased to 12.5gm%. Today she is healthy and happily married. Timely detection by field workers, their counselling and follow up, free treatment for one year by the organization and Ranjan’s compliance saved further complication and ill health for a young adolescent girl. patients in general ward and their attendents. Food This year relief of Rs.97,56,497/- was given to 5596 is also served at low price to other patients and their (77.54% of all indoor patients) patients relatives. This year 79336 free dishes were served in all.