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Herbal Medicines
The marginalization of the tribals continue and they fall victims to genetic disorders and diseases like sickle-cell anemia. WSSS combines its knowledge, skills and contacts on herbal and traditional medicines in the treatment of these diseases. WSSS has made many attempts to revive the traditional health practices to deal with these problems in the district. It has adopted measures like ex-situ conservation of herbs, collection and conservation of rare and endangered herbal species, raw drugs, seeds etc., preparation of herbaria, nursery of herbs, herbal garden, documentation of local health tradition through community participation programme, training in herbal preparations etc. Backed by conducive climate and geographic conditions, WSSS trains housewives as herbalists, encourages home and community preparation and distribution of herbal medicines at regular intervals.
Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Watered by the Kabini and several little streams and ponds and blessed with a fair rainfall pattern, agriculture forms the basic sector of Wayanad. WSSS has given priority to the improvement of the natural resource base. The activities involved are soil and water conservation, agro-forestry, organic manure promotion.
It also encourages regenerative agricultural practices and balanced cropping pattern with due importance to bio-diversity factors. Animal Husbandry and livestock management is another sector to which WSSS has diverted its attention. It strives to improve the quality of livestock. It has set up an agro service centre equipped with plant nursery, pig breeding, poultry etc. by which it strives to keep the dependency of farmers on external factors to a minimum.
It conducts training and awareness programmes and skills upgradation to make the villagers aware of various anomalies in the agricultural policy and help towards participatory planning.
It has also given shape to credit union programmes and provides thrift and mobilization of savings. WSSS considers the village groups as the main link and core functionaries in the overall scenario of community development.
WSSS has been striving to empower women through
Women’s Development Programmes of the Society. These programmes give
women prominent place in the agricultural economy of the region. Women
were given an entry into cultivation, processing, value addition and
quality improvement of spices. Women occupy leading positions in village
Tribal Health Care and Community Development
Illiterate, ignorant and unorganized groups of tribals form 17% of the population of Wayanad district. An emergency like situation prevails with the onslaught of diseases like sickle-cell anaemia, tuberculosis, scabies and malaria. This situation sought the immediate intervention of WSSS to address this tribal milieu and their problems.
WSSS has organized tribal hamlets to study the social, economic and health conditions. Study of the social, economic and health conditions, organization of medical camps, detection of sickle-cell anaemia and other chronic diseases, selection and training of health workers, promoting ayurvedic physicians to meet the health problems etc. form part of the activities of the hamlets. A team of fifteen health workers guided by a Tribal Programme Co-ordinator, work in selected tribal hamlets. A medical unit headed by a professionally qualified ayurvedic doctor, a traditional physician and a chemist to prepare herbal medicines. WSSS with a group of dedicated staff, work in close rapport with the officials of the Health Department to exploit the facilities provided by the government for tribal upliftment.
Training courses have been provided to the Hamlet committees and these work hand in hand with the health workers in the tribal villages. In collaboration with the Socio Economic Unit, the WSSS has successfully constructed community wells to supply safe drinking water to the tribal folk. It also organizes tution classes for school going tribal children and conducts awareness programmes to orient the youngsters to pursue their studies in right earnest.
Community
Health Through Traditional Health Practices and Herbal Medicines
Since inception, the Directors of WSSS have maintained special interest both on indigenous people as well as their traditional practices. A planned health care approach keeping in line with indigenous practices and herbal medicines came to focus in WSSS Programme in 1989. Village health clubs were formed and a series of training followed.
A herbal garden and nature cure centre got established at Resource-cum Training Complex of WSSS. Simultaneously, the health clubs also established community gardens.
Training on preparation of herbal medicines, taking on from the traditional knowledge and practices was provided.
The state level convention of traditional physicians of Kerala organized by WSSS and co-sponsored by Lok Swasthya Paramparya Samvardhan Samithi ( LSPSS ) during 1991 gave a new awakening and recognition to the overall situation. Village people have started growing herbs in their home gardens. The people assemble periodically to prepare medicines out of the herbs collected from community/home gardens as well as nearby forests. Some of the commonly used medicines include murivenna, uragulika, thalisapathradi choornam, rasnadi powder, garlic compound, ginger compound, shoe flower syrup, analgesic balm, drumstick tonic, herbal tooth powder. A Medicinal Plants Conservation Programme was launched in 1993 in collaboration with Foundation for Revitalization of Local Health Traditions ( FRLHT ) for conserving Rare, Endangered and Threatened herbal species in South India and restoring and propagating knowledge in traditional and indigenous medicines.
An Ethno Medical Forest, Raw Drug Museum and Herbarium have been established at WSSS Training Centre. Herbs collected are processed at the semi- mechanized unit under the guidance and supervision of qualified and experienced traditional physicians. The medicines so manufactured are administered free of cost to the poor and marginalized people like tribals. It is proudly placed on record that diseases like sickle cell anemia and scabies are efficiently treated with the herbal medicines manufactured here.
Social awareness and sanitation programme Gudallur
The three villages Puthurvayal, Mannuvayal and Dharmagiri in Gudallur Taluk, Nilgiris District under jurisdiction of the Diocese of Mananthavady were benefited from this programme. The thrust of this project was to organize the target population in these villages, to create awareness of the problems they face and to enable them to identify the reasons and introduce changes to meet the challenges.
Awareness seminars were conducted on topics related to health, malnutrition, sickness, diagnosis, home remedies with herbal medicines, effects of poverty etc.
To improve the health and hygiene of the people, a proposal to build 100 sanitary latrines was placed and trained project co- ordinators were appointed for the implementation of the project. The first part of the project was devoted to organizing groups, conducting awareness building and motivation seminars, propagation of knowledge about community health, preventive medicines, herbal remedies etc. and organization of credit co- operatives. The second half of the project period was devoted to construction of sanitary latrines and the stabilization of credit unions. Village level meetings of the potential project participants were conducted in these three villages and seminars were organized utilizing the services of the WSSS staff using audio-visual aids etc.
Social Welfare Societies comprising of village level peoples organization and Credit unions to mobilize savings of their members were established. Towards the later half of the project beneficiaries were selected among the three parochial groups on the basis of financial backwardness, their participation in the educational programmes, regular weekly deposits in credit co-operatives and their willingness to raise the beneficiary contribution towards the cost incurred. This programme has helped the people of these localities realize the need to mobilize local resources for their own empowerment.
Social Welfare
Poverty has different faces and colours. WSSS is constantly called upon to perform acts of welfare and charities. It has set up an international fund under the title – ‘Snehanidhi’. Here the poor and ordinary population provide small contributions for the upliftment of their less fortunate brethren. Disbursement from the fund are made for treatment, house repair, education, marriage and other emergency needs to the poor people. WSSS has contributed to housing and medical aid from its own funds.
Relief and Rehabilitation
WSSS fights side by side with the people of Wayanad in fighting the natural calamities like flood and drought, landslide and quakes. It provides immediate relief as well as plays an active role in the long term rehabilitation activities. It assists relief camps, land reclamation, agricultural revival, housing and income generating activities. The village level physical activities promoted by WSSS in the last decade has a definite bearing on prevention, control, and management of natural calamities. Intensive campaign on agro-forestry, promotion of watershed development and other eco restoration programmes are also spearheaded by WSSS.
Training Centre
The training centre which started functioning in 1992, has given a real breakthrough to the entire activities of WSSS. This centre with its both boarding and lodging facilities offers ample space for conducting training activities. This centre which is well equipped with audio- video facilities has been the venue for many national workshops and consultations on subjects pertaining to development or socio-cultural matters. The training centre is perhaps the only one of its kind in the entire Malabar area offering both in-house training and practical learning. The ethno-medical garden, herbarium, HSRD museum and medical preparation unit are also housed in the same complex. It has also set up a model micro-watershed consisting of soil and water conservation structures such as contour bunds, trenches and check dams.
Save A Family Plan
Different schemes under SAFP have been active in the Diocese of Mananthavady since 1977 at the behest of WSSS. Family Sponsorship – a project meant for the poorest of poor was the first scheme under this plan. The beneficiaries are selected from poor people with no regular income, school going children and with the presence of at least one enterprising member in the family willing to take up any gainful employment for self reliance. This support is provided for a period of five years within which the family is expected to attain self- reliance. Assistance is provided for different income generating activities like domestic dairy, goat rearing, petty trades, short term crops as well as for housing and allied purposes. Co- financing from the banks also have been built in to the programme so that the beneficiaries can get an increased volume of finance for income generative activities. The SAFP has introduced human resource development programmes which include Jeevavardhini, Sajeevani, Sisusadan and Janasoubhaagya. Training and motivation form integral part of the programmes. Saving and credit activities have been promoted in Sangams of SAFP
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