Serving communities around Pimpalner in February 2023
Pimpalner, February 2023
Vishav Manav Ruhani Kendra (VMRK) used its center in Pimpalner as the base from which to offer charitable outreach to the surrounding communities. VMRK volunteers undertook the following activities to support the underprivileged in these communities, who are mainly native tribes and daily wage earners:
- Medical camps offering free professional medical care
- Hygiene camps distributing free personal hygiene kits
- Distributing free educational materials to underprivileged students in extremely remote schools.
Free medical camps
Pimpalner lies in the Khandesh region of Maharashtra, a socially and economically disadvantaged region with limited medical infrastructure. The residents in these areas are often unable to access and afford basic healthcare services.
To support them, VMRK organized free medical camps within 80 kilometers of its Pimpalner center, specifically visiting these 6 villages: Anakavadi, Junner, Waghadi, Sukawad, Dhongada, and Ambapada. At each camp, one or two qualified and experienced doctors, a pharmacist, and a team of volunteers offered basic medical help, health care services, and free medicine distribution. The doctors gave general health checkups and prescribed medicines for seasonal flu, changes in blood pressure, and other minor ailments. These services and medicines were provided free of cost. The six medical camps held during the first week in February benefited more than 770 people.
On February 3, 2023, VMRK organized a free medical camp in our village Waghadi in Sindkheda, district Dhule, Maharashtra. A qualified and experienced team of doctors and paramedics managed the camp. 113 destitute patients from our and neighboring villages received help. Their illnesses were diagnosed and the medicines were prescribed free of cost. Along with this medical camp, VMRK also donated educational material to 65 destitute children from the District Council School of our village. We, the members of our gram panchayat, our children, and our village people wish to say thank you, and express our gratitude to VMRK for the mercy showered on us. We are also grateful to your volunteers for their great, dedicated service. We dearly wish that VMRK will continue offering these services in the future as well.
Sarpanch, Gram Panchayat Waghadi, Maharashtra
Hygiene camps
Beside the medical camps, hygiene camps were also organized to promote hygiene and cleanliness. These camps were conducted under the supervision of the local management of each village. VMRK volunteers focused on bringing awareness to the proverb ‘prevention is better than cure’. More than 900 free personal hygiene kits were distributed at these camps, with each kit containing 4 washing soaps, 4 bathing soaps, 1 toothpaste, 1 toothbrush, and 1 nail cutter.
On February 6, 2023, VMRK organized a free hygiene camp that donated toiletries and personal care products in our village Dhongade, Dhule, Maharashtra. This event was arranged through their Dhule center and 120 people received the donated items. The arrangements were highly commendable. VMRK volunteers provided useful hygiene information to the local villagers and the area’s tribal people. Our people learned how to use the supplied items to help maintain their health and wellbeing. The supplies included bathing soap, detergent soap, tooth paste, and toothbrush. The sarpanch, Mrs. Vandana Anil Bhoye, Upa sarpanch, Mr. Prabhakar Shravan Shonwane, and the beneficiary villagers expressed their delight and heartfelt gratitude to VMRK. We are so thankful to VMRK for this great initiative and would also like to request VMRK to conduct similar events in our village in the future too.
Sarpanch, Gram Panchayat, Shelbari, Maharashtra
Donating educational materials to students
Since 2011, VMRK’s educational charitable program has been supporting underprivileged school children. The program distributes stationery kits and school bags to students in poor and remote areas. These students come from underprivileged families who are not able to provide the basic necessities for their children’s schooling. VMRK’s focus is to provide the basics for their studies and support their potential as the future of the nation.
This year, VMRK identified 29 schools in the Pimpalner zone where the students were in need of support. From February 1–8, VMRK volunteers traveled to these schools and donated educational materials and stationery items to a total of more than 2,560 students. Each student received three notebooks, one school bag, one water bottle, one tri-power kit, and one geometry box.
On Wednesday, February 1, 2023, VMRK conducted a charitable activity in Anakwadi, District Dhule. Anakwadi is a remote village in a mountainous forest close to other state borders. This beautiful village is economically impoverished and people here are mainly dependent on labor jobs which are 25 kilometers away from the village. We always try to encourage students to come to school and study for their overall upliftment. We really appreciate your work and your volunteers who came all the way to our village to distribute the study materials and stationery items to these children without undermining their self-respect. Everything was done so politely and silently without taking any photographs of the students, school staff, or showing off. They all wished the students the best for their studies and growth. All of us at Zilla Parishad School, Anakwadi, thank all the VMRK volunteers for their selfless help. Also we expect to get help with shoes and socks for all our students as this is a forest area and there are poisonous snakes around.
Head Teacher, District Council School, Anakwadi, Maharashtra