Thank you for coming together to provide comprehensive antenatal care to Asha.

Asha and her husband have two children and are now expecting their third.  Asha’s husband does electrical wiring work, supporting his family on approximately 3000 rupees ($60) per month.  Asha’s oldest child, a boy, attends kindergarten, and her daughter will be starting nursery school in a few months, so Asha primarily tends to the house and children while her husband works.

When Asha found out about her pregnancy, she immediately signed up for free, comprehensive antenatal care through AIC for the duration of her pregnancy.  Through this program, she comes for regular check-ups with the AIC doctor and receives all medical treatment and medication through AIC. In the event that she needs to see a doctor at the hospital, including at the time of delivery, she is accompanied by one of AIC’s trained health workers. She also has access to nutritional supplementation and daily nutritious lunches, which she is thankful for, because $60 per month is often not enough to ensure that she is eating healthy meals. Most of all, Asha appreciates the peace of mind that she gets by participating in the program. Her oldest daughter died of tuberculosis of the brain several years ago, a horrific experience that left her generally very nervous about hospitals and medical procedures.  She feels comfortable and confident knowing that she has the support, guidance and free healthcare that she needs to ensure her baby’s safe arrival into the world.

Thank you for enabling AIC to provide comprehensive medical care to Asha, as she waits to welcome her child into the world.

Thank you for gifting an entire tailoring course to Subhadra.

Even though she is only 26, Subhadra has faced a lot of challenges in her life. At 16, she was married to her husband, an uneducated painter who earns about 3,000 rupees ($60) each month. Beginning early on in the marriage, Subhadra began facing intense pressure from her husband and in-laws to have children. Unfortunately, she soon found out that she was struggling with infertility problems, and the contentious relationship that she had with her in-laws only intensified. Her husband turned to alcohol and is often abusive. After medical treatment, including surgery, that she received for free through the health and community outreach program of a local nonprofit, Subhadra was finally able to conceive four years ago. Her struggles were not over, however, as her baby was a girl, and soon after her birth, Subhadra’s husband and in-laws soon began harassing her again to produce a son. Subhadra began suffering from severe postpartum depression, to the point that she needed to be hospitalized for several months. Although she is much better now, she remains on anti-psychotic medication and continues to deal with pressure from her husband and in-laws.

What helps Subhadra retain her sanity is the Basic Tailoring Class that she attends every day while her daughter is at nursery school. She loves getting out of the house and spending some time away from her difficult relationships with her in-laws (with whom she, her husband and daughter live), and feels excited to do something that is expanding her skill set and challenging her in a way that the monotony of her daily life does not. Although her illiterate husband and in-laws do not appreciate her 7th standard education, she has developed a new-found confidence as the most educated woman in the Basic Tailoring Class, particularly during the adult literacy component when most of the other women are learning the alphabet and she is able to study much more difficult material. Subhadra’s regular participation in the tailoring class contributes a great deal toward keeping her depression at bay and helping her develop supportive friendships with other women in the area, while also honing a skill and talent that gives her something to feel proud of.

Subhadra is looking forward to taking on orders for tailoring, and start earning money on her own.

Thank you for gifting an entire year of meals to Nirankar.

Nirankar is 15 and in the 9th standard. He is the 5th of his parents’ seven children, and his father’s income of 3,000 rupees ($60) per month as a roadside ironworker is often not sufficient to support the entire family. Nirankar considers himself lucky to be a beneficiary of the Ashraya Initiative for Children’s Education Outreach Program. The AIC Education Outreach Program provides him with, among many other things, well-balanced meals every day to ensure that he is able to focus on his studies, instead of his rumbling stomach.  These meals include chapati (flat bread), bhaji (cooked vegetables), boiled eggs, fresh seasonal fruit, yogurt, milk and several other things.

Nirankar starts the most important year of his secondary school education – grade 10 – in a mere five months, and at the end of the year, will take his Board examinations, to determine if he will be able to go on to college, and if so, which colleges will give him admission.  Therefore, it is imperative that Nirankar is able to concentrate on his schoolwork with the security of knowing that he won’t have to go hungry or miss meals. Neither of his parents ever went to school, and he is already the most educated person in his family, as his older siblings all dropped out of school when they were younger. Nirankar is definitely bright enough to excel in college one day, and will not have to become a poorly-paid ironworker like his father.

Thank you for coming together to provide comprehensive antenatal care to Bhanu during her difficult pregnancy.

Bhanu is currently pregnant with her fifth child. Her other four children range in age from 10 years to 18 months. Bhanu and her husband struggle to provide for their family by selling old cloth material on the side of the road. Combined, they bring in about 3,000 rupees ($60) each month, although now that she is pregnant, Bhanu is unable to continue working at the same pace as before, so their income has decreased. For this reason, Bhanu was excited to be able to sign up for comprehensive antenatal care through AIC, a local organization that provides healthcare to families from her community. This care includes a wide range of supportive benefits, ranging from nutritional supplementation, medication, medical testing, regular check ups and accompaniment to her obstetrician appointments, as well as at the time of delivery, by a trained health worker. In Bhanu’s case, this care is even more necessary. During her earliest antenatal bloodwork, a life-threatening condition was diagnosed in Bhanu, one that can be transmitted to her unborn child at the time of delivery if precautions are not taken. For this reason, Bhanu is under close watch and is receiving weekly check-up to keep tabs on her health, as well as the health of her unborn child. It is extremely fortunate that this condition was caught early on, as it might not have been diagnosed if Bhanu had not been receiving comprehensive antenatal care. Now, with several specialists keeping a close eye on Bhanu’s pregnancy, her baby has the best possible chance of being born healthy, and for that, Bhanu and her husband are grateful.

Thank you for coming together to teach Sapna a marketable skill.

Until recently, 25-year old Sapna knew nothing but being a mother and housewife. She was married off to her husband at age 14 and had given birth to her first child within her first year of marriage. The following year, she had another child, then a third, and finally a fourth child five years ago.  About six months ago, Sapna, her husband, and their four children moved to Pune from a town four hours away in search of better economic and educational opportunities. Sapna has no education, and her husband only attended school through the fourth grade, but both are determined to help their children study further in school than they did, and had heard of an organization in Pune that could help them do that. After sorting out her children’s school enrollment, Sapna caught wind of an opportunity for herself – the first chance at independence and economic possibility that she had ever had. Many of her new neighbors are enrolled in a tailoring class at a nearby health and community outreach center, and Sapna jumped at the chance to join. She had rarely left the house prior to beginning the class, and felt anxious and alone because she didn’t know many people in Pune, having recently moved. Sapna recently began attending the Basic Tailoring Class every day with a group of other women who have quickly formed a new support network for her in her new surroundings. Furthermore, for Sapna, who is illiterate and was never aware of her own potential, beginning to learn the basics of sewing has been huge confidence booster, and she is finally feeling capable of pursuing her own goals and hopes. Finally, Sapna hopes that after completing the tailoring course, she will be able to work from home to contribute to her family’s income, which would be a huge help to the family, as her husband’s income is only 3,000 rupees ($60) each month.

Thank you for coming together to provide a full year of meals to Rajan.

Five year old Rajan moved to Pune last year with his older brother and widowed mother so that he and his brother could be enrolled in school through the Ashraya Initiative for Children’s Education Outreach Program.  Rajan and his older brother had previous fed themselves by begging on the streets, as their father died several years ago and their mother had also grown up begging as a child and knew no other way of supporting herself and her children.  Before being enrolled in the Education Outreach Program, Rajan and his brother were constantly hungry.  Now, Rajan receives breakfast, lunch, and a healthy snack every day at the AIC Education Outreach Centre.  These meals include chapati (flat bread), bhaji (cooked vegetables), boiled eggs, fresh seasonal fruit, yogurt, milk and several other items. Rajan has visibly flourished – previously, he had skin problems due to vitamin deficiencies and was underweight and quite small for his age; now he is growing rapidly and finally looks like the kindergartener that he is! Perhaps the most relieved of all is Rajan’s mother, who had felt shame and sadness knowing that she was unable to keep her boys well nourished.  The first time she brought her boys to the AIC Education Outreach Centre, she wept with embarrassment watching them fight to eat the food as fast as they could, because they were so accustomed to extreme food insecurity.  Now that Rajan and his brother eat their fill at the Education Centre every day, she feels extremely grateful.

Thank you for providing comprehensive treatment to Rohit to enable him to get cured of tuberculosis.

Five year old Rohit and his twin brother are the youngest of the five children in their family. His mother begs on the streets to earn enough to feed her family, but often her children go hungry.  His mother’s income also goes toward supporting an orphaned cousin of Rohit’s as well as her elderly in-laws who live with the family. Rohit’s family has been struck by one tragedy after another this fall.  Shortly after Rohit’s father died of liver failure related to alcoholism several months ago, Rohit was diagnosed with tuberculous meningitis, an infection of the membranes covering the brain and spiral cord. He spent a week in the hospital before being discharged.  He continues to receive outpatient care at the AIC Health and Community Outreach Centre.  Rohit will need to have daily injections for six months, which are administered by the doctor at the AIC Health and Community Outreach Centre, before his infection can be considered treated.  His care at the AIC Centre also includes coverage of any supplementary testing or medications not provided for free under the government’s TB control program, as well as nutritional supplementation, which is important for Rohit because of his family’s extreme poverty.  Finally, Rohit’s care is monitored by the AIC doctor and a community health worker, who personally visits his home to ensure that he doesn’t miss a single dose of his medication.  This will make a big difference for Rohit’s prognosis, as his mother is an alcoholic and is not always attentive to her children’s needs. Now that he has started treatment, Rohit’s headaches and vomiting have subsided, and he has even been able to start nursery school again. The doctors are confident that, with continued daily treatment, Rohit will make a full recovery.

Thank you for enabling Jyoti to learn how to care for her new-born child.

Jyotikaur (Jyoti) is a young mother who recently had her second child. Jyoti’s husband works as a part-time golf caddy at the golf course across the street from the slum in which their family lives. His salary is meager – 2,500 rupees ($50) each month, but Jyoti is determined to do what she can, even given their modest means, to give her children the best opportunities and upbringing possible. One of the things that she has done to improve her children’s futures is to enroll in a Mommy-Baby class at the AIC Health and Community Outreach Centre nearby to strengthen her parenting skills.  The class meets every week, and mothers bring their babies, and spend an hour learning about dietary needs of their children, baby growth and development, birth spacing and family planning, communication and relationships within the family, good parenting practices and many other topics through structured discussions led by local professionals, specialists and health workers. Since early this year, Jyoti has been attending Mother-Baby classes with her firstborn child, an almost 2 year old boy, and the two of them participate in the 12-24 month class.

However, a few months ago, she gave birth to her second child, a girl whom she has named Sakshi. Since Jyoti didn’t learn about the Mother-Baby class until her son was already over a year old, she missed out on critical information and skills taught in the first component of the class, for mothers and babies aged 0-12 months.  She is therefore very excited to have joined that class with Sakshi. Now, Jyoti is fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend the class twice as often – she still attends the 12-24 month class with her son, and now is able to learn the best parenting practices to nurture and care for her tiny, new daughter as well in the 0-12 month class.

A bright future beckons little Sakshi thanks to your generosity.

Thank you for helping Phoolkaur throughout the entire duration of her pregnancy.

21-year old Phoolkaur and her husband have just found out that they are expecting their second child.  They already have an 18-month old daughter, and Phoolkaur’s husband and parents are hoping for a son this time, though Phoolkaur says that she will be happy to have either a boy or a girl.

Phoolkaur’s husband works as a golf caddy at a golf course near their slum, and earns about 3,000 rupees ($60) every month, although this varies, depending on the season. His earnings must cover all of the household expenses, as well as the cost of caring for his parents, as they live in the small shack with Phoolkaur and her husband.  At the end of the month, there is nothing left over for the family to put into savings, which worried Phoolkaur when considering how to manage the additional expenses related to her pregnancy, delivery and a new child.

She, therefore, feels very fortunate to have been taken on as an antenatal care case by AIC, a nearby Health and Community Outreach-oriented organization. She receives frequent check-ups by doctor at the AIC clinic, and is accompanied by the AIC health worker to her regular obstetrician appointments. Any recommended medical testing and medications that she can not obtain for free at the government clinics are paid for by this sponsorship, as is nutritional supplementation to ensure that her baby has the best chance of being born at a health birth weight.  Finally, when Phoolkaur goes into labor, she will be accompanied to the hospital by AIC’s health worker, who facilitates and makes any arrangements that are necessary to minimize unnecessary stress. In the face of their family’s financial hardship, Phoolkaur and her husband are extremely grateful to be receiving this comprehensive antenatal care, which has been made possible through your generosity, Tamara.

Thank you for supporting Teena during her first pregnancy.

Teena is 22 years old, and stays at home while her husband works as a key-maker, whittling keys on the side of the road.  He earns about 3,000 rupees ($60) per month normally, but during the monsoon months, his earnings go down because he conducts his business from a mat out in the open, so is unable to work during the heavy downpour.

Teena and her husband had been living with Teena’s husband’s brother and his family until recently. However, Teena’s brother-in-law suffers from various medical conditions and when Teena and her husband found out about the pregnancy, they felt that it would be better to move into their own small shack to avoid burdening their extended family with another mouth to feed in already crowded conditions.

Although her husband went to school until the 4th grade, Teena never went to school, and while she is excited about having a baby, she is also feeling a bit overwhelmed. She recently signed up for care through the AIC Health Outreach Program and is already feeling less stressed because of the help and support that she is receiving.

Through this program, Teena comes to meet with the doctor at the AIC clinic for regular visits, receives medications, screening and testing and nutritional supplementation.  She also benefits from the supportive presence of an AIC health worker who will assist her in deciding which hospital to register at, accompany her for the registration process, go with her when she needs to be seen by the obstetrician, and also be present to facilitate her medical care at the time of delivery.

For an illiterate, first-time mother like Teena, this supportive care and attention makes a huge difference for her to have a happy, healthy pregnancy, free of undue stress and confusion.

Thank you, Maria (x2), Anja, Aubrey, and Haris (x4),  for helping AIC provide comprehensive antenatal care to Teena to enable her baby to develop and grow. Thanks to your support, she has the best chance of giving birth to a healthy, normal child.