::: Voluntary Health Association Of India :::

•Project Arunoday – Since January 2006, VHAI has, at the request of the state government of Arunachal Pradesh, been running five Primary Health Centres in the state, that were previously almost dysfunctional. Arunoday strives to ensure quality healthcare by maintaining a balance between preventive, promotive and curative approaches. Although the project area poses a number of challenges, Project Arunoday has been able to make a promising start with a lot of encouragement from the local community and the state government. In view of the good results in the health status of the covered population, the state government is further planning to hand over a few Community Health Centres (CHCs) to VHAI in the near future.

•VHAI was invited to participate in various international and national conferences on Health Promotion and Development where it was able to contribute significantly due to its policy and grassroots level experience. Some of the conferences attended were:
»The European Conference on Health Promotion and Education, held in Budapest, Hungary.
»The Global Youth Meet on Health 2006, organized by Hriday-Shan in Agra, India.
»The Conference on Climate Change, Penang, Malaysia, co-organized by Consumer’s Association of Penang and Diakonie Emergency Aid, Germany.

•Orientation Visits – VHAI as one of the country’s leading health and development organizations, receives on a regular basis, students from nursing colleges and social work departments for guidance and orientation. During the year 2006-07, students from 22 nursing colleges and departments of social work from various universities visited VHAI. The visits were arranged by the VHAI Resource Centre and the students were given an orientation on the goals and objectives of the organization, its administrative structure, various projects and programmes and communication materials published and circulated by VHAI.

•VHAI as Publisher - VHAI has maintained a high standard in its printed material, which is fairly popular and has established itself as one of the largest publishers of health education material in India. Some of VHAI’s important publications this year worth mentioning are: Living a Healthy Lifestyle Starts Today: A Guide for Adolescents; WHO Booklet on NGOs, commissioned by WHO Geneva; and HIV/AIDS: Counselling Manual for Health Workers, a revised version of an earlier VHAI publication for use by counsellors, peer educators, health workers and professionals.

•Disaster Response and Management – VHAI has been doing commendable work on this aspect for more than a decade now. The approach has been holistic, focusing on livelihood restoration; healthcare; capacity building of the community; self help coordination and networking. Some of its recent laudable initiatives are:
»The Aparajita Andamans Project – In response to the massive damage caused by the giant tsunami waves in the Andaman and Nicobar group of islands in December 2004, VHAI not only provided immediate relief support but also strategized to provide rehabilitation measures for the people of Little Andaman and South Andaman. Keeping in context the correlation between social and economic security, Aparajita Andamans economically strengthened the affected population. SHGs were formed to revive the local small businesses and were linked with banks. Boats and fishermen were provided insurance coverage. A Computer Education Centre in technical collaboration with ET&T Computer Education and Training Centre, and a Vocational Training Centre for Tailoring and Embroidery were set up at Hut Bay to benefit the young people affected by the tsunami. Currently the project is set to move into the development stage where the team has to carry the work forward.

»Aparajita Orissa – Following the 1999 cyclone, which devastated important areas in Orissa, India, VHAI established Aparajita as a long-term aid and reconstruction programme. The programme operates in three main areas of the state: Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Puri. Its various programmes include the KHOJ Project, operational since 2004; the HIV/AIDS Programme in partnership with Christian Aid and DFID; a health promotion programme for adolescents; and a craft development programme. Two common facility centres for bamboo and terracotta have been started, which provide employment to more than 300 families.

»J&K Earthquake Response and Management – In October 2005, a major earthquake of 7.6 magnitude on the Richter scale caused considerable damage to property, especially to residential houses, and left heavy casualties in Baramullah and Kupwara districts in the northern Kashmir region. VHAI, through the J&K VHA, provided immediate support. A medical and relief camp was set up at Bandi Sarai, Kamalkote (later shifted to the remote area of Dani-Sayidaan and Dara Gutlian villages). Presently the relief phase work continues in eight villages of Uri Tehsil of Baramullah district in association with the Relief Commissioner.