The Needs of the Community
India, the seventh largest and second most populous country in the world, is a melting pot for diverse languages and cultures. FIMRC began its operations in Kodaikanal, India in 2004 by collaborating with the Betsey Elizabeth Trust. Since then, providing medical checkups and nutritional food has been an integral part of FIMRC’s work in South India.
Despite the global attention Kodaikanal receives for its beauty, the health system there has failed to show significant progress, and a number of social, political and economic factors have inhibited the community’s development. In recent years, globalization has rapidly changed the face of this community. Ever-increasing numbers of international corporations, factories, and businesses have found a home in Kodaikanal; this economic growth has come at the expense of the local population, who often find themselves without jobs to support their families. Most men and women work in the fields and on the dangerous roads of Kodaikanal as day laborers, performing jobs that require intense physical labor with little reward. The average day laborer makes around 100 rupees a day, which is less than $2.50 in US Dollars to support an entire family. Most children in these families eat only white rice, and in many cases, even that is not available. Since parents must work during the day to support their families, young children are often left in the care of grandparents or older siblings.
In collaboration with the Betsy Elizabeth Trust, FIMRC creates better health services and educational opportunities by working with crèches within the community. A crèche is a combination school, day care center, and health center for children between 2 and 5 years old which provides basic shelter, food, education and care. FIMRC currently supports the Grace Kids Centre, Peach Tree Crèche, Little Lilies Crèche, and Helping Hearts Crèche. When the community’s children enroll in the crèches, the family’s older children are able to return to school instead of caring for their younger siblings and grandparents are relieved of the task of caring for mobile toddlers. Project Kodaikanal provides comprehensive physical exams for every child in the crèches on a semi-annual basis, the development of a Health Tracking System for all crèche children, as well as funding to Kodaikanal Health and Medical Services to cover primary care for all crèche children.
In the Kodaikanal community, FIMRC helps raise awareness in the community through weekly Health Education sessions on important issues such as HIV/AIDS transmission or prenatal care. Based on need and funding, FIMRC is actively working with diverse group of organizations such as local hospitals, primary health and rehabilitation centers and schools to provide medical attention to people who are unable to access or afford for medical treatment otherwise.
