It was a memorable day for the Asha family when Dr Kiran’s batchmates from Maulana Azad Medical College- 1977 batch; eminent doctors in their respective areas of specialization visited Asha’s Mayapuri centre on 23rd April’2022. After a warm welcome with garlands at the centre, Dr Kiran personally greeted her old friends, who have known and associated with her for over 45 years and escorted them to the Meeting room.
The interactions started with the young bright college students narrating their life’s challenges and hardships since the beginning of their educational journey and how they successfully overcame them with Asha’s continuous support and entered the hallowed premises of the prestigious Delhi University to pursue their educational journey. They also shared their experience of Internship and Internship at top-notch MNCs, Embassies and High Commissions which gave them invaluable exposure to the world-class workplace environment and built a solid foundation for their future careers. Dr Kiran explained to the guests about Asha’s Higher Education programme and how the Asha team brought about the mindset changes amongst the students, their families and the community and transformed the students’ lives through education. One student Abhishek, who has just completed his Master’s Programme at the prestigious University of Sydney narrated his experience of International Education and how he got a good placement on his return to India. There were also other prospective students who Asha has begun to prepare for International Education in the coming two years. The visitors listened to the life-changing stories of the students with rapt attention and asked relevant questions. Dr Kiran’s moderation made the discussion lively, exciting and engrossing.
The visitors went to the IT Labs and saw how the IT Lab provided critical support to the students in their educational journey and how it had become a lifeline for the Asha student, especially during the pandemic. They saw how the students were attending online classes, doing their homework and assignments, using YouTube resources to learn English and much more.
After the students, it was the turn of the empowered ladies of Asha’s Women’s Group to narrate their stories of transformation. They started by describing the conditions of the area when they started their journey at Mayapuri, the internal and external battles they faced and how an association with Asha changed their destiny. They also described their suffering during Covid and how Asha’s support helped them to get their lives back on track. The ladies shared their experience of practicing Asha values and how they could overcome the differences of caste, creed and religion and develop the spirit of unity. These women generated respect and admiration from their community and had become leaders in their own rights. Their powerful tales of changing their lives with grit, determination and hard work drew spontaneous applause from the visitors and moved them.
After the students and the women, Dr Kiran showed the guests Asha’s Healthcare programme and how the patients were treated with meticulous planning, compassion and care. Dr Kiran explained Asha’s Healthcare Programme and the functioning of the 3-Tier Healthcare Model and the treatment procedures in detail and also explained how different patient cards are maintained as part of the robust record-keeping system. She introduced, Rama- Asha’s Senior Nurse Practitioner and how she saved lives during the second wave of the covid-19 pandemic. The eminent doctors listened to Dr Kiran with focused attention and the admiration and respect were evident in their eyes. Dr Kiran also showed them Asha’s medical room and they were highly impressed by the stock of quality branded medicines which was dispensed free to the poor, vulnerable and needy slum patients. The visitors were also briefed about the range and the coverage of Asha’s Healthcare programmes starting with Maternal and Newborn Health, Child Healthcare, Reproductive Health and Family Planning, Geriatric Care, and Chronic Disease Management Programme. Finally, the guests saw a glimpse of the Ladoo and Sattoo programme, Asha’s unique healthcare support to curb the rising cases of Malnutrition and Anaemia amongst women and children of the slum community during the pandemic. The programme has been vetted by Harvard Medical School.
Finally, Dr Kiran led the team on a community visit across the Railway line to show guests the actual living conditions of the community and their fight for survival. The guests entered the houses of a few community members and interacted with them. The eminent doctors were moved by seeing the challenges facing them and how they were overcome.
In the end, to make the occasion memorable, a special cake cutting ceremony was organized which touched all the doctors as a gesture of love and affection. They wished Dr Kiran all success in her mission to transform the lives of the slum community.
Mentioning, one feedback received, “Witnessed how our dear Kiran has transformed neglected lives and given a great momentum towards emancipation, education and dignity. Joy and happiness were palpable as were the dreams and conviction in the eyes of the kids, the women and the team Asha. One of the most meaningful evenings we had. Salute to them.”
