UPDATE DECEMBER 2006

[ See also recent photos - December 2006 ]

Dear friends, namaskar.

This month we achieved a major improvement to our insufficient govt. electricity supply, through the installation of 6 solar panels on our roof. Though we were connected to the govt. electricity several months ago, we soon saw that in this rural area the electricity is only available around 50% of the time, and when it does come it fluctuates and is mostly of much too low voltage.

The solar energy backup system was made possible through the generous volunteer services of Anton Szilasi of Australia, who raised more than 3,000 Aus$ to fund the solar panels and other equipment such as batteries and inverter. Apart from the funding, he also designed the system himself (having a diploma in renewable energies and much technical knowledge) and then came to our clinic with his father Yuri to set up the system. We enjoyed their company for two weeks, during which they bought further equipment locally, did themselves all the labour of installing the system from top to bottom, and finally taught us in detail how to use and maintain the system. All this despite repeated technical complications and delays, mostly due to the lower standard of the local companies and products.

Anton and Yuri further helped us with practical suggestions and designs for a solar water heating system, a solar cooker, a solar water purification system and the implementation of permaculture principles in our garden. In the coming weeks and months we’ll be putting these into practice.

Another great help from overseas came from Ms. Pan Si Yun of Singapore, who donated S$ 3,500 for the purchase of a second-hand van. As the clinic’s only vehicle so far was one motorbike, the van has already greatly helped us with the transportation of people and materials to and from nearby Bokaro city and especially with our village programmes. Now we can easily and conveniently conduct the programmes with more of our staff participating and with more materials. The van will also be used for the emergency transport of patients, until in the future we’re able to acquire a permanent clinic ambulance.

In preparation for our recent and expected visitors as well as for overall development, we’ve been very busy with improving our rooms and facilities over the past month. Our progress so far:

• Repainting of several outside and inside walls.
• Repair and repainting of garden fences.
• Instalment of glass windows in the bathrooms.
• Repair of doors which were not closing properly.
• Repair of the clinic entrance gate and entrance roof.
• Painting of the metal sheet roof of the old clinic building (which is now in use for storage and visitors’ rooms).
• Furnishing of the staff kitchen with a dining table, cupboards, shelves and a broader range of kitchenware.
• Construction of four additional benches for the patient waiting area.
• Construction of a urinal for patients (as the villagers are unaccustomed and shy to use the normal toilets).
• Construction of a new clinic signboard at the connecting road to the city, in addition to the one at our compound entrance.

Still various odds and ends need to be done and are in process. One major pending work is the installation of water pipes and sinks. This has been delayed since months as we’re still waiting for the local govt. offices to sanction and authorize the boring of a tube well on our property. Having the local authorities dig our tube well is govt. subsidized and can save us several hundred dollars of money. The drawback is that it’s a long bureaucratic procedure, which we applied for already months ago. Fortunately, a supportive neighbour who recently installed his own tube well and pump has allowed us to connect to his pump and draw water temporarily from his tube well. We’ll therefore start the plumbing installation work very soon.

In November we treated a total of 697 patients, which is approx. 27 patients per clinic working day. This is less than during most other months, as most villagers are still very busy until at least mid-December with harvesting work in their fields, so that they take less time for other things such as visits to the doctor.

Due to the harvesting season we’ve also not yet restarted our regular nutritional education programmes in the villages, as not so many people can be gathered at this time. Instead we’ve continued on a weekly basis our well cleaning programmes in the surrounding villages, demonstrating to the villagers how to do it themselves in the future. This is combined with spraying stagnant water areas throughout the village with diluted phenyl, against breeding mosquitoes and other parasites. In the past four weeks 55 wells were cleaned in 5 villages.

Last but not least, middle of last month we also conducted our first “animal camp”, a veterinary programme at the request of the villagers of nearby Kashijharia village. A veterinary doctor who’s a friend of ours offered his services free of charge; he diagnosed and treated a total of 18 livestock animals, most of which were suffering from Foot and Mouth Disease (6 calves, 6 buffaloes, 2 cows, 1 ox and 3 goats).

Many thanks to all for your support and interest in our project!

Yours

Dada Devashuddhananda

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