What We Do: Current Projects

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Village widow having a hard time

What you've done so far

Helped Dr Mune educate 2500 people about alcohol and cigarette addiction and HIV awareness.

Helped Dr Mune and her team conduct clinics for women over 40 in cancer diagnosis and health monitoring through self-examination, in 8 Pune slums and one tribal village.

Offered sex education through residential camps for school and college students as well as drop-outs in the community.

Over 40 Women's Health, Pune, India

The Over 40 Women's Health Project does more than its name implies. In addition to its objective of decreasing women's cancer morbidity rate, the project aims to create AIDS awareness and cure and prevent addiction, particularly to alcohol. Dr Manda Mune says, 'We want to make community members aware of HIV/AIDS by doing street plays. Sex education is offered through residential camps for school and college students as well as drop-outs in the community. We are also working in a tribal village. We will do all the above programs in the tribal village plus addiction programs. In Pune there is an addiction centre to which we will admit five very poor people.'

Women's health camp, Thakawardi village, August 09
The sign says, Women's empowerment project health awareness camp

July 2011 Project resumes

We've received and approved the new project proposal for the Over 40 Women's Health Project in the mountains near Pune, India. Dr Manda Mune finally has been granted FCRA approval by the Indian government, hence the 2-year break in our support, during which Dr Mune has been supporting the work from her own funds.

Dr Manda Mune and another doctor seeing patients
Left: village woman; right: Dr Manda Mune (foreground) sees a woman and child while her colleague takes the blood pressure of the woman in the blue sari. Photos: Manda Mune

Dr Manda Mune works in the village of Thakarwadi in the mountains outside Pune. ‘In each house, 2-3 people are addicted to alcohol. The man drinks and beats his wife and children and takes away money earned by wife and other members to drink more. He does no work. These people are addicted to country alcohol. These people don't talk about drugs openly since use of drugs is illegal in India and strong police action is taken against those found guilty.’

Objectives
To decrease morbidity rate of women by cancer
To give self confidence in health knowledge
To free people from addiction and prevent it
To create AIDS awareness

Street play: de-addiction to alcohol
	The 4 ladies standing near the blackboard are actors. The blackboard was not part of the play but just happened to be in the street, so they used it.

Over 40 women's health fact sheet (PDF 560KB)
Over 40 project evaluation 2009, Dr Manda Mune (PDF 17 KB)