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Frontline Health Workers: The backbone of rural healthcare system

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Frontline Health Workers: The backbone of rural healthcare system

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There is nothing typical about Anandwati’s day, a resident of Kursi village, Hardoi. She is a frontline health worker who is ready to step out of her house at odd hours or when she is not feeling well, only to help others in her village.

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Frontline Health Workers: The backbone of rural healthcare system

April 7, 2020

There is nothing typical about Anandwati's day, a resident of Kursi village, Hardoi. She is a frontline health worker who is ready to step out of her house at odd hours or when she is not feeling well, only to help others in her village. Being an accredited social health activist (or ASHA), this comes naturally to her and to many such frontline health workers who are dedicated to relentlessly uplift the rural healthcare system.

On 7th April 2020, the world celebrates achievements and work of nurses and midwives who play a critical role in keeping the world healthy. They remain at the forefront of battling any disease or medical issue while addressing community questions, providing respectful treatment and care to the people in need. Their relationship with patients is based on trust and providing the necessary, skilful reassurances.

In rural India, frontline health workers act as an essential link to designated health facilities by bringing various services to people's doorsteps. Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA), Anganwadi (AWW) and Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) are an important force of frontline health workers who come from the communities that they are serving. Rural communities as setup are more close-knit than urban communities. The lack of advanced facilities and literacy makes it difficult to permeate the need for speciality healthcare and other essential information. These social realities make the task of frontline health workers even more challenging. They need to be actively involved in people's lives not just from the purpose of providing institutional healthcare but also to gain additional insights which provide them with an agency in the community to lead the beneficiaries in a more developed and healthy direction. They have the responsibility of the entire community's well being once they gain their trust and understanding.

The multi-dimensional nature of rural healthcare system makes involvements outside the conventional design essential for ensuring smooth delivery of services. Anandwati reminisces about the days when she first started working as an ASHA worker in 2006. She clearly remembers that her motivation received strong resistance from the community.

"It wasn't an easy journey but I managed. People have closed doors on my face several times but the only motivation that I always had was I want to change the condition of my village because that's the only way we can grow. Health is an important subject and it cannot be dealt
with leniency", says Anandwati.

Shiv Devi, from Suthena village of Hardoi, is an Anganwadi worker who is popular as a messenger of health and sanitation in her village. The villagers proudly call her Jhansi ki Rani because she makes it a point to ensure everyone in her village is getting better healthcare
services and nobody is left behind.

"I'm always on my toes and I don't delay work for any reason. Even if people are hesitant or reluctant to listen to me, I make it a point that I will change the condition of my village and get everybody on a healthier path."

ASHAs, ANMs and AWWs have varying responsibilities. From conducting regular health surveys of families to assisting with deliveries, they cover major aspects of the healthcare system. Door to door visits to the poorest and most vulnerable, counselling families and pregnant women, spreading awareness on health, nutrition, family planning, child growth and development and immunisations are some of the roles and responsibilities that fall under the purview of these frontline health workers.

Their role is indispensable in the health system and hence they cannot or should not be taken lightly. Keeping the rural dynamics in mind, there is all the more need that they are trained and capacitated enough to efficiently manage the intricacies of rural healthcare. HCL Samuday is supporting the frontline health workers with a host of interventions aimed at enabling them to discharge their duties effectively and thereby uplift the health status in the villages of our country.

Anandwati proudly says that there is no longer any home delivery in her village. By regularly visiting and counselling pregnant women, making them understand the importance of healthy food, taking them for regular health checkups, frontline workers like Anandwati have helped successfully manage 84% High-Risk Pregnancy cases where mother and child were both at riskn due to several health issues, across three blocks of Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh.

Frontline health workers play a crucial role in health promotion and health literacy. On this World Health Day, when we celebrate the hard work of nurses and other frontline health workers, it is imperative that more respect, appreciation, and recognition come their way. With the right knowledge, skills, opportunities and financial support, they can act as more efficient health practitioners for beneficiaries and their families.

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Frontline Health Workers: The Backbone of Rural Healthcare System

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April 7, 2020 There is nothing typical about Anandwati's day, a resident of Kursi village, Hardoi. She is a frontline health worker who is ready to step out of her house at odd hours or when she is not feeling well, only to help others in her village.

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Health Development in Rural India | HCL Samuday

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Health Development in Rural India | HCL Samuday

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HCL Samuday strives to reduce Infant Mortality and Maternal Mortality in the region, and alongside make Primary Healthcare services accessible to all in the community.

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HCL Samuday strives to reduce Infant Mortality and Maternal Mortality in the region, and alongside make Primary Healthcare services accessible to all in the community. Primary focus in this sector rests on three themes: (1) building the capacity of health workers to help them carry out their daily r…

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Eradicating energy poverty: Empowering lives with the Sun

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Eradicating energy poverty: Empowering lives with the Sun

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Far sits the sun, shining bright on all of us. Under the sunlight everything seems so lively, people doing their chores by the shade, farmers ploughing the fields, the kids rushing back home in their uniforms.

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Eradicating energy poverty: Empowering lives with the Sun

December 31, 2020

Far sits the sun, shining bright on all of us. Under the sunlight everything seems so lively, people doing their chores by the shade, farmers ploughing the fields, the kids rushing back home in their uniforms. For our teen Simran, the story takes a turn when the sun goes down and Andhera looms over. She carefully walks home with her mates and elder brother, passing the dysfunctional lampposts. Streets become isolated, cattle go quiet and doors shut as the only source of energy becomes a candle lit by window side. This is not just Simran's reality, this is the reality for many homes in rural India. Families live in abject poverty of electricity.

To bring everyone out of energy poverty, collective action by the community itself could be the simulator of change. With this aim, HCL Samuday aided the community of Hardoi to move towards harnessing power of the Sun; a cleaner, greener, more efficient source of energy. Solar energy is the way forward towards fulfilling the need for reliable and clean energy. Samuday's community based solar intervention helped in creating a community owned sustainable, replicable and scalable model of solar mini-grids to fulfill the need of reliable energy.

As a first step, it was needed that people of Hardoi be aware of the invisible form of poverty they were subject to. It was realised that simply uprighting an electrical pole or wiring a home was not enough; simply having a solar panel or a solar grid was not the final solution to the problem. People had to not just benefit directly from electricity, but also had to be capable enough to sustain the created infrastructure. Knowledge was disseminated through awareness drives and community discussions to show solar energy's viability, relatively better output as compared to conventional means.

Thereafter, it was required to create systems that put this know-how to application; to harness Solar Energy to fulfill power needs of villages across Hardoi. HCL Samuday undertook the following initiatives:

1. Village electrification - Solar mini-grids were established using state of the art technologies and were remotely controlled and monitored. Samuday created a solar mini-grid ecosystem where operation and maintenance would be done remotely thus maintaining the efficiency and efficacy for filling the needs of the community and its institution. Homes were then connected to these solar mini grids. Families willing to take electricity connections were connected to solar mini-grids with the help of Internet of Things based smart meters to provide affordable and reliable energy as required by a household. All of this happened in the most productive hours of the day defined by the villagers themselves. A Solar User Group (SUG) of the village members was created to which the solar units were later transferred. Samuday worked doggedly to build the capacity of SUGs for ensuring economic and social sustainability of these solar mini-grids. A modern training center was also established to provide training on solar energy systems to youths from the communities in the intervention areas.

This created a self-sustaining structure that helped increase the energy availability meanwhile working on social upliftment and job creation for the village community. The payments started getting collected and were later deposited in the bank account of SUG which would be used in near future for operation and maintenance of these solar mini-grids.

2. Rooftop electrification - 12 public health centres earlier working on unreliable sources of electricity were connected with solar panels mounted on the roofs so that primary healthcare activities could take place. This initiative also made it possible for those in urgent need of medication to be consulted through Telemedicine facilities and get support without much difficulty.

3. Electrification for Schools - Standalone solar roof-top systems were used to electrify educational institutions across the 3 blocks of Hardoi. Electrical energy was made available for schools, so that laptops and other basic appliances could function. With smart classes functioning, student enrolment in these schools started rising.

4. Micro-enterprise development (MEDs) - Local micro and medium enterprises were suffering from the grave challenge of unreliable electricity and their operations were totally dependent on conventional sources of energy. This not only led to an increase in the operational cost of these enterprises but also impacted the environment in the form of carbon emission. Samuday realized the need of reliable energy and decarbonizing these enterprises. To provide reliable energy and to decarbonize the operations, these enterprises were connected to solar mini-grids after sundry technological interventions and innovations. Various business owners could now establish their own dairy units, flour mills, husbandry centres and more. For them it was a golden opportunity, to not just maximise their profits and reduce operational costs, but to contribute towards a greener society.

The participation of the community in this journey is the real metric of development. Significantly, it was never about installing a solar grid or lighting a bulb, it was about enabling people of Hardoi to find sustainable and innovative solutions to their problems themselves. This is what Empowering lives means. It's not about just lending a hand to someone in need, but to support them to help themselves and further everyone else.

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Eradicating Energy Poverty: Empowering Lives With The Sun

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
December 31, 2020 Far sits the sun, shining bright on all of us. Under the sunlight everything seems so lively, people doing their chores by the shade, farmers ploughing the fields, the kids rushing back home in their uniforms. For our teen Simran, the story takes a turn when the sun goes down and Andhera looms over.

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Eradicating energy poverty: Empowering lives with the Sun

# data[].attributes.subject
Eradicating energy poverty: Empowering lives with the Sun

# data[].attributes.body
Far sits the sun, shining bright on all of us. Under the sunlight everything seems so lively, people doing their chores by the shade, farmers ploughing the fields, the kids rushing back home in their uniforms.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Eradicating energy poverty: Empowering lives with the Sun

December 31, 2020

Far sits the sun, shining bright on all of us. Under the sunlight everything seems so lively, people doing their chores by the shade, farmers ploughing the fields, the kids rushing back home in their uniforms. For our teen Simran, the story takes a turn when the sun goes down and Andhera looms over. She carefully walks home with her mates and elder brother, passing the dysfunctional lampposts. Streets become isolated, cattle go quiet and doors shut as the only source of energy becomes a candle lit by window side. This is not just Simran's reality, this is the reality for many homes in rural India. Families live in abject poverty of electricity.

To bring everyone out of energy poverty, collective action by the community itself could be the simulator of change. With this aim, HCL Samuday aided the community of Hardoi to move towards harnessing power of the Sun; a cleaner, greener, more efficient source of energy. Solar energy is the way forward towards fulfilling the need for reliable and clean energy. Samuday's community based solar intervention helped in creating a community owned sustainable, replicable and scalable model of solar mini-grids to fulfill the need of reliable energy.

As a first step, it was needed that people of Hardoi be aware of the invisible form of poverty they were subject to. It was realised that simply uprighting an electrical pole or wiring a home was not enough; simply having a solar panel or a solar grid was not the final solution to the problem. People had to not just benefit directly from electricity, but also had to be capable enough to sustain the created infrastructure. Knowledge was disseminated through awareness drives and community discussions to show solar energy's viability, relatively better output as compared to conventional means.

Thereafter, it was required to create systems that put this know-how to application; to harness Solar Energy to fulfill power needs of villages across Hardoi. HCL Samuday undertook the following initiatives:

1. Village electrification - Solar mini-grids were established using state of the art technologies and were remotely controlled and monitored. Samuday created a solar mini-grid ecosystem where operation and maintenance would be done remotely thus maintaining the efficiency and efficacy for filling the needs of the community and its institution. Homes were then connected to these solar mini grids. Families willing to take electricity connections were connected to solar mini-grids with the help of Internet of Things based smart meters to provide affordable and reliable energy as required by a household. All of this happened in the most productive hours of the day defined by the villagers themselves. A Solar User Group (SUG) of the village members was created to which the solar units were later transferred. Samuday worked doggedly to build the capacity of SUGs for ensuring economic and social sustainability of these solar mini-grids. A modern training center was also established to provide training on solar energy systems to youths from the communities in the intervention areas.

This created a self-sustaining structure that helped increase the energy availability meanwhile working on social upliftment and job creation for the village community. The payments started getting collected and were later deposited in the bank account of SUG which would be used in near future for operation and maintenance of these solar mini-grids.

2. Rooftop electrification - 12 public health centres earlier working on unreliable sources of electricity were connected with solar panels mounted on the roofs so that primary healthcare activities could take place. This initiative also made it possible for those in urgent need of medication to be consulted through Telemedicine facilities and get support without much difficulty.

3. Electrification for Schools - Standalone solar roof-top systems were used to electrify educational institutions across the 3 blocks of Hardoi. Electrical energy was made available for schools, so that laptops and other basic appliances could function. With smart classes functioning, student enrolment in these schools started rising.

4. Micro-enterprise development (MEDs) - Local micro and medium enterprises were suffering from the grave challenge of unreliable electricity and their operations were totally dependent on conventional sources of energy. This not only led to an increase in the operational cost of these enterprises but also impacted the environment in the form of carbon emission. Samuday realized the need of reliable energy and decarbonizing these enterprises. To provide reliable energy and to decarbonize the operations, these enterprises were connected to solar mini-grids after sundry technological interventions and innovations. Various business owners could now establish their own dairy units, flour mills, husbandry centres and more. For them it was a golden opportunity, to not just maximise their profits and reduce operational costs, but to contribute towards a greener society.

The participation of the community in this journey is the real metric of development. Significantly, it was never about installing a solar grid or lighting a bulb, it was about enabling people of Hardoi to find sustainable and innovative solutions to their problems themselves. This is what Empowering lives means. It's not about just lending a hand to someone in need, but to support them to help themselves and further everyone else.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Eradicating Energy Poverty: Empowering Lives With The Sun

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
December 31, 2020 Far sits the sun, shining bright on all of us. Under the sunlight everything seems so lively, people doing their chores by the shade, farmers ploughing the fields, the kids rushing back home in their uniforms. For our teen Simran, the story takes a turn when the sun goes down and Andhera looms over.

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Agriculture Development in Rural India | HCL Samuday

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Agriculture Development in Rural India | HCL Samuday

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HCL Samuday aims to increase the farm income of marginal farmers by 25%. This is being done by infusing farmers with knowledge about scientific farming practices that are developed step-by-step through training programs at every cropping stage.

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Community Mobilization and Institution Building

Interventions aimed at mobilizing community and facilitating institution creation lend long-term sustainability to the efforts for agriculture development.

a. Farmer Clubs

Farmer Clubs are formed with the objective of propagating the idea of collective, uniting farmers in groups which work for the benefit of their community. 199 such clubs established so far under this intervention are providing a platform for knowledge dissemination and better market linkages.

HCL Foundation is the promoting agency of Hardoi Kisan Producer Company Limited (HKPCL), a Farmer Producer Organization constituted in 2017 to address challenges faced by farming community in the project area. Comprising of 2,350 shareholders and governed by an 11-member board of directors, HKPCL registered a turnover of ₹6.85 crores in last financial year (2019-20).

c. Vegetable Aggregation Points

Ensuring market is a crucial part of vegetable supply chain. To facilitate better linkages with market, 7 vegetable aggregation points have been set up across 3 blocks and regular communication is made to enable farmers to choose and opt for most suitable option. Realising better prices for produce, 917 Tonnes of vegetables, worth ₹ 1.30 crores, got aggregated at these centres in 2019-20.

d. Farm Mechanization

Through Farm Mechanization, focus is on increasing income of farmers by improving affordability and accessibility of machines for precision agriculture. It is aimed at reducing farmers' cost of cultivation and easing farm operations. Carried out in an entrepreneurial model, thus far 3,249 farms have been supported with advanced agricultural machinery and development of 45 entrepreneurs has been facilitated.

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HCL Samuday aims to increase the farm income of marginal farmers by 25%. This is being done by infusing farmers with knowledge about scientific farming practices that are developed step-by-step through training programs at every cropping stage. Key training programs include Soil testing, Accounting techniques, Integrated Nutrition Management, Integrated Pest Management and Post-Harvest Management.