Health & well-being campaign
project Arogya
"Arogya" is Sanskrit for overall well-being and health of the body, mind and soul. Project Arogya, started in 2017, aims to provide government schools with resources to ensure students lead healthy lives, both inside and outside the classroom.
PERSONAL HEALTH
We believe that education about personal health takes equal precedence as regular school studies. That's why as part of our annual health and well-being campaign, we donate towels, handkerchiefs and undergarments to students in government schools and show the students how to take care of their bodies.
The idea for this campaign arose after our first visit to a government school called Temki Paada in December 2016. The students were asked regularly by their teachers if they had taken a bath or brushed their teeth. Many times, the answer to both those questions were "no." We realised that hygiene items which we took for granted were not readily accessible to the children.
Due to generous donations from our supporters, in June 2018 we were able to raise enough funds to purchase undergarments for a hundred students from three government schools in the Palghar district--Dasgao, Tal Paada and Temki Paada.
December 2017 Co-founder Saloni More at the Health Camp with students from Temki Paada, Dasgao and Tal Paada.
Oral health campaign
The 2018 Health Camp revealed that the majority of the students had dental issues such as cavities and required further treatment. We were able to provide treatment to the more severe cases with the partnership with AstraWhite Dental Clinic but we want to provide such healthcare to all the students. Thus, we aim to provide dental treatment to all first-graders from three ZP schools (Temki Paada, Dasgao and Tal Paada). After a few years, we will have reached a point where every student has received dental treatment. This campaign is still in its initial planning stages.
December 2016 Co-founder Saloni More and board member Shubhada More use an animation to teach students at Temki Paada about dental hygiene.
MEDICAL CAMP
Students in government-run schools in Maharashtra do receive a check-up every few months or so. However, due to the sheer number of students, it is not always possible to do a thorough check-up. Thus, Aboli Foundation aims to supplement the government's efforts in providing health services.
December 2017 marked the first annual health camp which was held in Temki Paada, Mahim. With the help of two paediatricians and one dentist, we were able to give more than one hundred students in three schools a check-up.
combatting malnutrition
Malnutrition is a huge problem that the children at the ZP schools are facing. Since their parents are mostly farmers and labourers, they don’t always have access to basic rights. With this in mind, we are planning to provide the three schools with a nutritious breakfast every morning. The government provides free lunch meals for the children already. We will start a trial round with Temki Paada and see whether providing a healthy breakfast positively affects the students’ growth. This campaign is still in its initial planning stages.
Support this campaign
After carrying out our medical camp, we saw that a common problem among students was malnutrition. We are currently raising funds to purchase nutritional supplements which can be added to the students' lunch meals (which are provided by the government). Aboli Foundation is currently looking for sponsors to donate weekly or monthly supplies. We have broken down donation amounts for the three schools we support. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please email us at ngoaboli@gmail.com.
TEMKI PAADA, PALGHAR
(22 students)
1 week: $40
1 month: $130
3 months: $390
6 months: $780
12 months: $1560
TALPADA, PALGHAR
(27 students)
1 week: $55
1 month: $200
3 months: $600
6 months: $1200
12 months: $2400
DASGAON, PALGHAR
(61 students)
1 week: $100
1 month: $350
3 months: $1050
6 months: $2100
12 months: $4200