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Volunteer’s story-Ganesh visits our India Malnutrition Initiative

October 29, 2010 - India

By Caitlin McQuilling

Over a year ago Ganesh Kamath was shocked to read about the staggering malnutrition rates in India. A native of Kerala who has lived in California for over 50 years, Ganesh knows India well, but was shocked to find out that almost half of all Indian children are malnourished. He started to research the problem some more and was moved by the grim tales of malnutrition coming out of the media in India. He and friends, who all felt that malnutrition should not exist in India, formed a group to look into this issue and explore ways in which they could do something. After a year of research and bouncing ideas back and forth Ganesh volunteered to go to India on behalf of the group to see firsthand what the problem was and what could be done. After contacting various NGOs working in India, they decided that Real Medicine Foundation was a good place to start and sent Ganesh out on a fact finding trip to see the reality on the ground.

Ganesh arrived in Jhabua after a grueling few days of travel but, notebook and camera in hand, was ready to start right away. Over the 5 days he was here Ganesh joined RMF India on our daily routine in the field, in the office handling 10 things at once, in the NRC, and at the Bhil Academy. Ganesh handled it all with enthusiasm, interest, and respect for the work going on. We spent three days out in the villages on spot checks to see our CNEs in the field and to check on NRC follow up cases. One day after over an hour in a jolting car ride we had to walk about 2 miles in the heat of the day to reach an anganwadi center buried in a remote village. This up and down hill walk through fields and across streams wore out me, and I’m a runner, but Ganesh was right there with us. He was able to see first -hand the scope of RMF’s work, the challenges we’re up against, and to meet the women who make this all happen. Now that’s due diligence!

Ganesh will now head back home and report to his group about what he’s seen here in India. He has many great ideas on how he can help out RMF and some of the individual children he met here. Ganesh plans on giving talks to local groups about the program and approaching his friends and neighbors about how they can contribute to ending malnutrition in India one child at a time.

RMF thanks Ganesh for coming halfway across the world to see malnutrition in India and what RMF is doing to stop for himself. It was a pleasure to host such a compassionate and caring individual for the past five days. We look forward to working with you and your friends to eradicate childhood malnutrition in India.

For more information about RMF’s Malnutrition Eradication Program in India, click here.

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To contribute to this initiative, please visit our website at realmedicinefoundation.org.