...Till next time...

Today was my last day (for now) with Asha.  I returned to Kusumpur Pahadi, a slum in southwest Delhi, not far from the office.  We visited this slum in 2008 with a team, and painted the community centre.  I was able to show some of the community photos from that time which amused them as they spotted various younger versions of friends and selves.  This is the slum which is high above the water table so is completely reliant on water brought in by tanker.  That is all very well until you meet one coming the other way on the approach road as we did on the way home. The road is narrow with vehicles parked and pedestrians  and all sorts of animals - cows, donkeys, goats, pigs, dogs and chickens everywhere!

Here are the pigs...and a cow...

Another day and another consulting room.  I remember helping to paint these walls in 2008!

After the clinic, I said goodbye to the staff

...and returned to the office, avoiding the approaching water tanker (!) I had been invited to share lunch with the Office staff, excellently cooked by Kiran G.  We had a lot of fun and ate plenty.  One of the hardest parts of leaving Delhi is leaving this lovely crowd who look after me so well.  I love them all!  Sadly Shubhra couldn't be there as she has been unwell. :-(

My last job was to do a workshop with all the Asha staff.  I always enjoy teaching them.  We had a good discussion about high blood pressure.

These are the staff who have worked with me in the clinics, organising me and translating for me.  They work very hard in a difficult environment to provide the best care to the communities that they can.  Many of them are long serving, having worked with Asha almost since its beginning! They are all wonderful!

So tomorrow I fly home.  Goodbye Asha...till next time!

A clinic at Asha HQ

Today, I was scheduled to go back to Mayapuri but due to an Asha staff member's illness I did a clinic at the Asha HQ building instead

It meant that I was able to briefly catch up with Dr Ranju again - I met Dr Sharmila earlier in the week.  Dr Ranju did a clinic for Obstetrics and Gynae patients while I saw the rest, which suited me fine!

The clinic was fairly brief so I had an afternoon free.  It was suggested that I should visit a big Hindu temple that we had seen on our way to the slums on the other side of the Yamuna river - the Akshardham Mandir. A driver took me there, and he had never been before so we enjoyed it together.  Unfortunately no cameras or mobile phones were allowed so I cannot show you how beautiful it is.  There are amazing red sandstone carvings all around the building including 148 almost life size elephants.  Inside is mainly white marble and the sanctuary is dazzling with gold and sparkling jewels!

I did manage to get a bad photo from the road outside to give you a (poor) impression of its scale:

I came home early and have spent the afternoon doing a powepoint presentation for tomorrow. I will be speaking to the Asha staff about high blood pressure.

Last day tomorrow...it's gone so fast!

Zakhira revisited

So today I returned to Zakhira slum, a largely moslem community of about 8000 people tightly adjacent to the main Northern Railway line.  It is a relatively poor slum with some tiny houses. I was well looked after in the clinic by this team of lovely ladies

They provided me with chai, flavoured with ginger AND biscuits!

After the busy clinic Rani took me for a tour around the slum and I visited a number of homes including this one - home to an 8 year old member of the Bal Mandal (Children's group) who lives in this tiny space with her family.

Here is the neighbourhood:

Here is some piecework - making parts for sandals.  Apparently they are paid 1.5 rupees per 24 pieces (where 1 rupee is worth just over 1p sterling).  This family work as a team:

I also met this lovely proud Mum with her year 12 daughter who is doing her final school exams over the next few weeks.  Today it was history which is her favourite subject - and she is quietly confident.  Results are in May.

And back at the Community building I sat and had a long chat with 4 College students. The two girls are first years, the lad on the right is second year and the lad on the left is a graduate who has done 2 internships with Marks and Spencers and the Canadian High Commission, to give him experience of a work environment.  He is now waiting to start an MBA (higher business degree) course with a view to becoming a Human Resources Manager.  Just look again at the housing above and remind yourself of the conditions in which these remarkable young people have achieved these things!

On the buses

Wow! What a great day I just had!  Today I joined Soni for a mobile clinic session.  The bus was already parked at Hanuman Camp south of the Asha Office:

This is a small slum with only about 300 homes, and no community building to work in.  So the bus is the venue for clinics, women's group and children's group meetings, interviews and meetings with students etc. This is inside the bus:

And here is the view of the slum from my window:

After the clinic, Soni kindly took me for a walk through the slum, a community of rag pickers who collect refuse and sort it before selling it for recycling.  The housing is poor quality and tiny but there are clean toilets, access to water and concrete paths with good drains.

There is still time for play:

...and knitting!

Then we went back to the office where I met up with Usha who took me into her own slum, Ekta Vihar, so that I could see the beautiful new community building, where the Bal Mandal (Children's Group were in the middle of having a meeting.

The Bal Mandal told me how pleased they were with the building.  Finally Usha took me to the home of a lovely family in Ekta Vihar who we have watched grow up over the last 10 years.  I was able to have a long chat before coming home.

Mountain air

So we had a weekend break in Macleod Ganj.  This is a nearly 12 hour drive away up in the Himilayas, a Tibetan enclave where the Dalai Lama is exiled to. I have visited before but not stayed there and enjoyed the snow capped mountains of this time of year:

This is north of the town.  Towards the south is a magnificent view of the lowlands.  You can see for miles!

We enjoyed walking the streets, enjoying a very different environment, culture and food style from Delhi.

These two are my travelling companions/chauffeurs.  I have decided I will not be driving on Indian roads:

It was a tight squeeze, but he made it!

It was interesting to explore the buddhist temple, the "seat" of the Dalai Lama,  The monks are often to be seen wandering around the town.

On the way back down to Delhi, the weather was clear and we had some magnificent panoramas of those mountains:

...at increasing distance away:

We met a few of these little monkeys along the road too:

Now...back to work...

Sweeta - and not so sweet!

Clearly the weather is not the only cause of  Delhi traffic jams.  This is this morning's commute to Trilokpuri, the other side of the Yamuna River:

 Following the route I found this comment in my Delhi map book:

 And then I arrived at Trilokpuri.  They really are very welcoming and friendly there.  Some rememembered my previous visit 2 1/2 years ago.

And this was to be today's consulting room:

 My clinic was translated for me by the most helpful and encouraging Sweeta.  And the ladies of Trilokpuri made me the best cup of chai with (almost) no sugar.

After the clinic, and lunch, I was invited to the prayer meeting in the room upstairs. We sang and prayed and shared testimonies.  I reminded them of how they had prayed for a friend back home who had just been diagnosed with cancer, which of course they remembered, and I was able to tell them that she is now back to full health

I think this is the first time I have seen Indian dancing in the context of worship. Beautiful!

I was then introduced to 2 first year students studying for a BA.  I was reminded again of the struggles these young people have to deal with as they try to keep focussed while coping with all of life's difficulties.  This is Salma on the left and Zarine on the right.  Salma wasn't as outgoing, enthusiastic and bubbly as many of the students are when I meet them.  She lost her Mum just 3 weeks ago and was overwhelmed by her grief!

I had to say goodbye to these lovely ladies after I had written in their visitors book.  My entry was under the comments of Sam and Lisa Gibson

Sweeta is third from the left

The first slum I visited in 2005

I should first tell you about last night.  It was a beautiful evening and F & I decided we should go for a walk around Hauz Khas lake.  We were there just as the sun was setting and it was beautiful:

On the way we met these little monkeys:

...before visisting a local art gallery and a coffee shop. Cinnamon frappe for me - although it was almost the ubiquitous fresh lime soda.

Today I went back to Chandapuri which is the slum I first visited when I first came to Asha in 2005. I have been back on one occasion since.  We were met by the CHVs, one of whom remembered my wife. (How do they do it?)

I also met Ishitha on the left who is a new member of the office staff (and therefore entitled to share the biscuits, Shubhra!) She started yesterday and is on an orientation course at present.

The building has changed a great deal - but here, as in Seelampur, most of their computers are out of action, waiting for replacements.

I also met Aqhilac, or Aki, who has completed his degree and is working part time at the New Zealand High Commission, while studying via a correspondence course.  In his spare time he is teaching and encouraging 32 children from his slum who are coming up behind him.  He shares with them both his knowledge and his experience, including how he overcame his difficulties to acieve what he has.  He has 3 younger siblings at University and a younger brother still at school.  He tells me that his family are very proud of him and feels he could not have achieved all this without the constant support of Asha for which he is very grateful.

After the clinic it was back to the office where I joined Dr Asher and the Asha staff in a workshop, concentrating mainly on diabetes. I followed most of it although it was mainly in Hindi!  That is Subodh from Seelampur waving at the back:

And now we're off to a dim sum restaurant for dinner...!

Better weather, better traffic

So the Delhi sun has come out and the morning commute to Seelampur was straightforward. 

This is a huge slum of 38,000 people, the same population as my home town, Yeovil, UK. It occupies a much smaller area of course.
Another day brought another consulting room:

 I really enjoyed my clinic session this morning, very ably supported by Subodh and the team of CHVs who help to run the clinic.  Today we had 2 consultation rooms running. Dr Asher is a retired GP from UK who is here for a few weeks.  She ran the antenatal clinic while I saw the medical cases.
Here is my consulting room from outside:

And here is Subodh on the right who translates for me while I consult with Sunila who is President of one of the six Muhila Mundals (women's groups) at Seelumpur.

After the clinic, Dr Asher and I shared a ride back and chatted about our experiences with Asha and how we could help improve services. We found a very common understanding between us.  She is holding a tutorial with staff tomorrow and I will try to attend if time allows.

I popped into to the Asha Office on the way home, partly to make sure they were coping without me, and partly to ensure that they shared the biscuits I brought them, with Ayesha!

I am being very well looked after: I was brought a cup of coffee as soon as I got in, and here is a picture of the delicious meal we ate last night:

That is a stuffed dosa on the right and the main dish is a delicious south Indian vegetable samber.  Behind the Kingfisher can is a dish of "gunpowder".  It sounds alarming but is a beautifully flavoured and textured relish made with sesame seeds, red chiles, garlic and no doubt a few other ingredients! Altogether wonderful!