Helping Blind Students by LEADer Jyoti H

Some times blind students face problems in writing examinations because the examination board allows one person to attend the examination along with the blind candidate. But what happens if sometime the supporting member does not catch their sentences properly? It will effect their result.

LEADer Jyoti H from Jigular Women's College thought this to herself, and wanted to make a difference. She took permission from her hostel warden to teach economics (her degree) for the eight blind students who were studying the subject, to ensure they had the extra help and tutoring they needed.

Jyoti also realized that it was important to ensure the blind students had the right helper to transcribe their examination answers. Jyoti helped the students determine the good quality helpers, thus making the students feel more positive and interested to learn.

By assisting these students to do their best without treating them like they were less, Jyoti made a positive difference in the lives of her fellow students that had a visual impairment. 

Don't Smoke! with LEADer Tara M

LEADer Tara M from ABR PG College (Anpara) understands the many negative effects of smoking, but was concerned that many members of her community did not. She felt compelled to educate them about the many reasons they should not smoke or use tobacco products, including raised blood pressure, increased chance of macular degeneration and stroke, and negative impacts on the lungs, heart, mouth, and throat.

Tara and her group visited the slum areas, where they though awareness about the dangers of smoking would be the lowest. Armed with signs and knowledge, they stopped people in the streets and visited homes to relay their message of health.

Out in the community, there was two highlights. One man, after the LEADers explained the dangers and pointed out the notice on his tobacco pack that "smoking is injurious to health, tore his packet of tobacco in half and said he would never touch tobacco again. Another women, after speaking with the LEADers, asked for forgiveness and promised to live free of tobacco and alcohol.

Tara considers this project only the first step in her motivations to "stop all the nonsense" and work together "towards a day when there is no alcohol, smoking, or tobacco factories".

Lowering Diabetes with a Plant with LEADers Vinay and Shubham

In India many patients are suffering from diabetes, and every year 10% of diabetes patients in each state are losing their life. The conditions are even worse in that most of the patients can’t afford medicines for cure of this disease. In case of diabetes, the body lost its repairing and healing capacity which is a major threat in this disease. It can be genetic also if proper care has not been maintained.  

Observing the worst condition of medical facilities for such a threatening disease, LEADer Shubham with LEADer Vinay Chandra from Varanasi, students of Banaras Hindu University, have taken an incredible initiative for the betterment of patients who are suffering from diabetes. Their interest in medical field inspires them to do for the sake of the patients. They started researching from different resources to look for how they can provide medicines at a low cost and make easily available.

Their continuous effort and research came with an incredible reward as they came to know that a herbal plant “stevia rebaudiana” which can act as a non-caloric natural sweetener... like a blessing from nature for sweetness-loving human beings. These steviosides have a negligible effect on blood glucose, which makes stevia attractive to people on carbohydrate-controlled diets.  

LEADers Shubham and Vinay have shown their active leadership by starting in search of this plant species. They visited many botanical gardens and nurseries and finally they got 50 pieces of this plant species and found a village particularly for this project. There in village they encourage,  explain and motivate farmers as well as local people about merits and applications of that plant. Villagers and local people have appreciated this project and supported these leaders in planting of stevia plants and have started crops. They have also planted 60 sets of antioxidant herbal plants (tulsi, neem, lemon, ginger, and garlic) and some flowers-based plants so that it also help farmers to generate income in the off seasons. 

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better”  

Albert Einstein

College Health Camp by LEADer Saurabh Singh

LEADer Saurabh Singh from Magadh University in Varanasi is an active, commendable leader. By his projects he proved that an effort can be successful by internal strengths of human being.  He organized a health camp in a secondary school “Pragya Vidya Vihar” in Lakhisarai, Bihar. In this 2-day health camp more than 800 students participated, with Saurabh working with school authorities and CMO to help the event be a great success. 

A free medical health check-up was organized in the camp in which doctors observed students for personal hygiene, malnutrition, blood pressure and eye checkup. Doctors also guided them in maintaining a proper balance diet. Students were happy to be the part of that health camp; CMO with School authorities had issue a “Health Card” to all participated students and announced that those students will get free health checkup the next year also. 

Leader Saurabh has analyzed that in our country, where hospital facilities are very poor, this type of initiative and effort is crucial. School authorities have proved that such health camps are basic necessities now a day. He gained leadership skills through organizing this health camp and he proved that for event planning, team building is necessary. He had raised funds of Rs. 3600/- to organize this event, but observing the efforts of Saurabh, the school and CMO authorities supported him not only in funds but in all areas to help the event run smoothly and successfully. 

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver” 

Mahatma Gandhi

Toilets for All by LEADer Soujanya Pattanakudi

LEADer Soujanya, her team, and a villager with two toilets they helped to install

While there was a government scheme to install toilets in rural villages, LEADer Soujanya Pattanakudi from Smt. A. A. Patil Womens College noticed the implementation of scheme was extremely slow, partly because of hesitation and lack of knowledge of the villagers.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, under the Clean India Mission, makes toilets available to villagers who apply for them. First, Soujanya realized she needed to spread awareness of hygienic waste management practices and dispel any superstitions or misinformation about toilets. She held rallies in the villages as well as visiting door-to-door.

Once the villagers were made aware of the hygienic benefits and the government scheme, Soujanya would help them fill in an application. Because of the slow implementation of the scheme, Soujanya also worked to follow up on applications to ensure toilets were installed in a timely fashion.

So far, over 250 toilets have been installed in two villages. Soujanya's goal is 400 toilets, and hopes her work will inspire other LEADers to do similar projects in the villages in their community. 

Safe Waste Management with LEADer Deepika Lokare

It is a reality many villages have: no waste management. Waste spread on the sides of the roads, unhygienic drainage and streams, and litter everywhere. However, LEADer Deepika Lokare from Smt. A. A. Patil Womens College actually did something about it in her village.

First, she obtained approval of her project from local authorities and officials in Hirekodi. Then, work began to digs pots for waste and tipper trucks come to collect through the MNREGA government scheme. Slowly but surely, waste is being diverted out of the streets and drains and into the pots.

Deepika also focused on spreading awareness of hygiene and the importance of waste management among her villagers, convincing them to participate in the clean-up of their village.

Through this project, Deepika has not only gained more knowledge about government schemes are how they work, but has only forged more bonds within her community and gained self-confidence. Her community is very appreciative of her efforts, and she now feels motivated and that nothing is impossible.

Getting MNREGA scheme approval

Talking to the villagers about the project

Hygienic Pani Puri with LEADer Nethravathi G V

LEADer Nethravathi G V, from DRM Science College in Davangere, is a science student passionate about health and hygiene. She knew small changes can make a big difference when it comes to clean, safe food.

After doing more research into hygiene in street food, Nethravathi contacted local pani puri sellers and talked with them about the importance of food safety in their carts. She had to convince them to go against the norms and take an additional cost in order to make their food cart more hygienic. Once convinced, she would sell them hand gloves at a low cost.

So far, she has spoken about food safety and sold hand gloves to over 30 pani puri sellers in Davangere.

She hopes to inform the public as well about food safety so there is a demand for more hygienic practices for street food vendors. In the future, she also wants to extend her project to discuss the importance of eating healthy and fresh foods over packaged junk food.

Yoga for Health of Students by LEADer Vaishnavi Hatrote

LEADer Vaishnavi Hatrote, from KLEMSSCET in Belgaum, felt that today's society was lacking peace and happiness. From her belief that physical, mental, and spiritual problems can be helped through yoga, she wanted to share those benefits with others.

Trying to establish a yoga programme for the students at her college was difficult because many shared the perspective that yoga is an obsolete practice. However, she persevered and has now benefitted almost 200 individuals with her yoga programme, including encouraging them to continue the practice as a part of their everyday life, especially to deal with the stress of being a student.

Vaishnavi plans to continue this project and keep sharing this passion as she becomes more educated about it. She says that "sharing what you have," in her case it is yoga knowledge, "will make you more enriched and content."

She also hopes to become an entrepreneur in the future, and used yoga to keep her health high and stress low during this journey.

Caring for Villagers' Hearts by LEADer Thirupati Reddy

Thirupati Reddy, a LEADer from Government Polytechnic College, Rajagopalpet, Siddipet, learned in a LEAD workshop that we could help him turn his ideas into action.

Each day he was seeing many people in his village and nearby villages taking medicines for heart problems, but there was no proper equipment nearby to check the heart patients.

He decided to take action, and hoped to take care of 4-5 patients check up. Instead, he found many many more who need help. Therefore, he came up with an idea of a free medical clinic camp with heart check up/treatment.

With help from seven doctors from Prime Hospital in Hyderabad, he organized and executed the medical camp. While he asked friends for support, not one friend showed up. However, he was not swayed and he led the health clinic successfully and confidently. 201 patients benefitted from heart check-ups, blood pressure check-ups, sugar check-ups, and general check-ups as well as free medicine.

Even without a surpanch or friends to support him, Tirupathi's project was a success and villagers appreciated him for his concern.

 

Stop Harmful Alcohol Production

Alcohol consumption can be extremely harmful for people, especially when producers don’t use high quality products and raw materials.  Yuvaraj D. Patil from VSM Institute of Technology in Nipali decided to create awareness about alcohol production and consumption in his village of Nitawade. Knowing about potential harm of the chemicals used for alcohol production,Yuvaraj decided to warn residents of his village to be careful consuming alcohol from local stores. Yuvaraj knew that there was a wine shop in his village that sells alcohol produced from jagri. Yuvaraj also was familiar with alcohol extraction process in which chemicals were used. So, he decided to visit jagri production house and recommended not to use chemicals in the production process. The LEader took an initiative to talk with the shop owner and producers not to produce alcohol using chemicals and not to sell fake wine as it can affect people’s health. This project helped at least one farmer to change his mind and to give up drinking alcohol. 

Sanjay Nitave benefits 300+ individulas on Children's Day

LEader Sanjay Nitave from BPP College Kalamb, Pune took the initiative to organize a Swachh Bharat for International Children’s Day, in collaboration with Z.P. Primary School, 57 Chal. He organized the cleaning of garbage and plastic in areas around the school, as the emphasis was on the importance of cleanliness and hygiene for children. Following this theme, a local doctor came to visit the children. He offered a medical check-up, medicine and injections if required, as well as education on how to stay healthy and fit, all free of charge. Parents and community members were amazed to see this student-run awareness campaign have so much of an impact.

 

The schools’ administration was very supportive of the event, and there was a great response by students as well. Fun games commenced the grand event which, in one day, touched 300+ individuals.

 

Balasabeh Phadatare Polytechnic College LEaders clean the village and benefit 8,000 people in Kalamb, Maharashtra

Plastic cleaning, garbage cleaning, dengue awareness, and water purification awareness. These were four key themes LEaders Sandip Dombale, Sanjay Nitave, Suyash Borate, Yogesh Kharat and Abhay Bhosale (Balasaheb Phadatare Polytechnic College, Kalamb, Maharashtra) focused on in efforts to clean the village where, it was clear, health, safety and comfort were being sacrificed. They partnered with college staff and students, for maximum outreach, collected their cleaning supplies, organized themselves into these four groups, and got busy making the village a better, cleaner place for everyone. Seeing their initiative, local politicians also contributed in order to create a healthier environment. This initiative by LEAD students has encouraged people of the village to do their part in keeping the environment clean, and has even helped control the mosquito population. The village continues to sustain the cleanliness of the area and now dispose of domestic waste outside of the area. This project benefited an estimated 8,000 people and has encouraged other neighbouring villages to implement the same idea in their own location.

LEaders Educate on the Importance of Toilets in the Home

Vaidehi Pai and his partners Dharmaraj, Sudhir, Akarsh,Vaidehi ( College of Agriculture, Dharwad) decided to tackle a very sensitive topic for their LEAD project: the importance of toilets in the home. They noticed, on their visits to Narendra village, that many people were defecating openly in the areas around where they lived. It was clear that this was not only inflicting health issues but also personal shame, particularly for women. These LEaders visited Narendra and explained the health risks associated with this issue, and the importance of investing in a toilet for each home. Although the people they met with were somewhat embarrassed and resistant to speaking openly about such a topic, the LEaders felt that their message was communicated effectively, and that their initiative has the potential to be implemented on an even larger scale.

LEader Shivaraj M.U. Organizes Blood Donation Camp

On account of National Blood Donation Day, Shivaraj M.U. (Khkabbur Institute of Enginnering and Technology, Dharwad) decided he wanted to set up a blood donation camp, along with fellow LEaders Harish Gadagin, Raju Naik, Soumya Rogi and KHK LEaders. These students recognized the importance of having a well-stocked blood bank, as many people lose their lives when they are in need of blood and don’t get it fast enough. They decided to partner with the Karnataka Institute of Medical Science (KIMS), Hubli, to hold a blood donation event on October 10th 2014, being National Blood Donation Day. More than 250 peoples registered for the camp, and 130+ people donated blood. It is estimated that more than 450 people will benefit from this project.

LEader Kalyan Chakravarthy Goud Encourages Proper Dustbin Use

Kalyan and his team members Sai Kiran, Meenakshi and Ch.Nagavardhini (GSCET) were compelled to change the way people were disposing of their waste in Vinayak Nagar Nizamabad. They noticed a great deal of trash littered around, and a lack of people using the dustbin provided. They wanted to see the dustbin area clean and in-use, so they made it happen. They gathered supplies to clean the dustbin, and gathered all the surrounding garbage and put it all in the bin. They noticed that as soon as it was cleaned up and people saw what they were doing, they immediately started using it as well. They also encouraged the colony (of about 80 people) to continue using the bin properly, to keep the environment clean and safe.

LEader Akhil Surveys Problems in Nizamabad Government Hospital

In Nizamabad, there is only one hospital to care for everyone. LEader Akhil had caught wind of issues at the one and only hospital, such as a lack of daily cleaning and water facilities, and instances of patients getting mixed up. He decided he wanted to learn more about what was actually going on in this hospital. Akhil, along with Harshitha, Saketh, Navanitha, Sravan, Prashanth (SSR, NDC, VREC, KCEA) decided to survey the admitted patients in the hospital, to find the inside scoop on what the problems are, and how they could solve them. They first obtained permission from the Charge, who allowed them to survey in 3 of the 4 wards (the 4th was in bad condition). They discussed the hospital’s problems with over 50 people, in the process learning how to interview strangers and gaining ideas of how to make the hospital a better place.

LEader B.Sai Kiran to Eliminate Plastics

LEader B.Sai Kiran and his colleagues Kalyan , Nagavardhini and Meenakshi (KCEA) noticed that people are using plastics more than ever these days, and this habit is having a very negative impact on the environment. As a means to combat this ecological problem, these leaders went door-to-door and encouraged people, in 30+ homes and shops, to reduce their plastic usage or avoid it altogether, as there are many replacement materials that can be better recycled and have less of a negative effect on our planet and our health. 

LEaders Clean Gulbarga and Raise Health Awareness

Shivani D. Patil couldn’t help but notice that many people of Gulbarga were not making full use of the government dustbin, resulting in many environmental and health issues. The trash was scattered around the area, and children would play in this unsanitary environment. Shivani, along with Vaishnavi Kulkarni, Bhagyashree Saraf, Rakesh Sitnoor and Divyarani S.K, noticed the unfriendly odour and the increase in mosquitos during monsoon season as well, and decided to take action to make it a cleaner, healthier space. The first obtained permission from the Commissioner, and later convened with a local environmental engineer and a health inspector, and they cleaned the area. Additionally, they visited the Mayor, who personally visited the site as well. They requested that a door-to-door garbage collection be formally put in place to address the systemic waste and health issues in the community, which is to be implemented soon. The Leaders then went door-to-door, visiting with people and asking them to re-consider their waste removal practices. They encouraged the residents to lessen their use of plastic, to separate their dry and wet waste, and to use their dustbin and empty it into the garbage truck when it comes. Overall, this project benefitted 1000 people.

LEaders Raise Dengue Awareness in the Slums

Shubham Daliya recently met a young child, living in a slum, who was suffering from Dengue disease. His condition was critical, and his parents were helpless due to a lack of knowledge regarding the disease.  Seeing this child and his family suffer, Shubham Daliya felt the need to do something about it. He and his peers Shubham, Amulya, Avinash and Eshwar (VREC, NZB) created an awareness campaign to educate slum people on the disease. They first researched all the symptoms, causes, prevention and treatment methods of the disease, and then went to the slums to share their learning with the people. The students equipped many people with knowledge they need to understand the disease, avoid it right from the beginning, and what they need to do if they do become infected.

Creating Healthy Hearts on World Heart Day

Satya Phanindra Saibewar and his fellow team members Vikas, Akshay, and Akhil (Vijay Rural Engineering College, Nishitha Degree & SSR Degree College) decided to take World Heart Day, on September 29th, to the next level. These students wanted to use the occasion to encourage people to better look after their hearts, which they did by introducing precautionary tips and methods of dietary regulation. They brought their compilation to 80 people and encouraged them to consider a healthier lifestyle. In addition, they visited many cardiologists, pathologists, children specialists, and  nurses in hospitals and gave them roses as a token of love and appreciation for their services.