Homestays of India is actively involved in providing alternate livelihoods to people in remote locations of India and supporting local communities through homestays and tourism development. Having traveled to the remotest places and witnessing life’s difficulties, we have come across and heard stories of Life Impacting Medical Emergencies. The thought that someone, somewhere, will lose a loved one due to lack of access to medical facilities or perhaps a lack of knowledge of how to respond appropriately to a medical emergency, is what spurred us to launch a unique social endeavor – SEHAT KI SHALA. Through this we seek to create a Self Help Model which empowers the villagers to take care of themselves in case of medical or natural emergencies.

Homestays of India in association with Humjoli Foundation has adopted village Sunkiya, located 6 km from Bhatelia market of Mukteshwar in Uttarakhand where the nearest hospital is 60 kms away for a population of approx 2500 people. A professional team of medicos and volunteers visited Sunkiya on 29th and 30th Oct 2019 and demonstrated how elementary knowledge, preparedness and presence of mind, can help them to respond and act with confidence during medical emergencies.

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The Mission was to EDUCATE & EQUIP the local youth and capable adults with basic yet vital skills, and facilitate a process that makes them self -reliant in terms of their basic healthcare and medical needs. We assured that even non-medicos can help to save a life during an emergency like heart attack, stroke, burns, bites, drowning, choking, accidents etc.
In addition to this, a high quality inventory of first aid material, OTC medication and basic monitoring instruments such as Blood Pressure Machine, Thermometers, Glucometers etc. was maintained with the Sarpanch to make people of Sunkiya self-sufficient and self-reliant in terms of their own healthcare.

IMPORTANT TOPICS COVERED
• First Aid
• Medical Emergency Response
• Disaster Management
• Quick Response to Natural Calamities
• Fundamentals of Health & Personal Hygiene

ADOLESCENT GIRLS & WOMEN HEALTH
• The importance of Personal Care and Hygiene
• The best practices to follow during Menstruation
• Do’s and dont’s in ‘those 5 days’
• The ideal method of Sanitary Waste Disposal
• An interactive sessions about common health issues such as Menopause, Dietary Concerns, Reproductive Health, Contraception, Pre and post- natal care etc.

They were provided one year’s supply of Sanitary Napkins.

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We plan to carry forward and replicate this model across other villages as well where we have presence. We will ensure that the quality of life is improved and also eradicate the fear in people’s mind about how to respond to a sudden medical emergency. If you feel strongly about the cause and want to impact people’s life, help us to buy long term Medical Inventory, Equipment and supply of Sanitary Napkins to keep this initiative going. Please Click to Contribute

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