Sampark Sathi Foundation

 - Ria Nisar and Emma Salem Who are India’s ASHA workers? And what are their roles and responsibilities? An accredited social health activist (ASHA) is a community health worker instituted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as a part of India's National Rural Health Mission. The Indian MoHFW describes them as ‘’health activist(s) in the community who will create awareness on health and its social determinants and mobilize the community towards local health planning and increased utilization and accountability of the existing health services.’’ The mission started in 2005, and full implementation of the same began in 2012. The long term goal is to have an ASHA in every village in India. There are about 9 lakh ASHA workers operating in the country currently. The role of an ASHA is that of a community level care provider. This includes a mix of tasks: serve as a key communication mechanism between the healthcare system and rural populations and build awareness about health c

 - Emma Salem “The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.” - Maya Angelou Who are the marginalized groups in India? The term ‘marginalization’, literally meaning exclusion, was coined by Robert Ezra Park, in his article, ‘Marginal Man’ in 1928. Marginalized groups are therefore living on the fringes of society, excluded from mainstream communities. India’s society is built on hierarchies. No matter where in India, all things living, from people to social groups, are ranked based on a variety of essential qualities. People are categorized according to caste groups, religion, social class, socioeconomic status and gender. So, which communities are seen as marginalized in India? These include those in the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, women, children, non binary or sexual minorities, Indian Muslims, and so on. In India, these marginalized groups make up the majority of the population. Dalit, a term that symbolizes oppres

 -Ria Nisar ‘’There are people in the world so hungry that God cannot appear to them in the form of bread’’ - Mahatma Gandhi. Hunger has been an issue pondered in India for many years. Why is that in a country like India whose food production is close to 297 million tonnes in a year, the most basic human need is such a problem? With the considerable resources the free world has at its disposal, why does this problem still persist to plague the people of India? In the Global Hunger Index 2021, India has ranked 101 out of 116 countries. This isn’t a problem anymore, it’s an obscenity. The Food and Agriculture Organisation defines hunger as a “situation that exists when people lack secure access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life”. About 15 percent of the country (mainly the rural and economically backward) is undernourished and women contribute to about 60 percent of India’s hungry population. To understand m

- Sneha Padmanaban Mark Dharmani , a fisherman's son born with dwarfism known as "Achondroplasia," is now an international para-badminton player and World No. 3 in Men's doubles and Mixed doubles. Along with his sheer courage and endurance, the concept of crowdfunding enabled him to overcome society's prejudice towards people with disabilities. During the early stages of his career, he did not have sufficient resources to fund his coaching, travel, etc. It was the crowdfunding campaign on "Fuel A Dream" that helped him raise more than Rs 8 lakh, which garnered him publicity through print and social media. The "can't-put-me-down" attitude he exhibited inspired many, leading to an invitation to give a TED talk in Hyderabad. He did a television commercial for Brooke Bond and was also selected for ASIAD. Crowdfunding has made a significant impact on lives around the world. As a result, patients can focus on their recovery and not on the hospit

-Sohini Dhar, Saptak Chakraborty and Somya Negi Saniya is a student, she gets up at nine in the morning and works on the screen throughout the day, trying to catch up with the hectic submissions, and their due dates. After finishing that one assignment, she procrastinates a little, until she realizes, she’s going to have to give up on the nights  sleep to be able to finish the other one. Saniya is like all the other students, trying to keep up their desired grades in university. The environment of self-isolation and the amount of stress involved in this has led a lot of students and young adults to feel stressed, and anxious.  People who are overburdened with pressure often feel stressed. Stress is a mere reaction and response exhibited by our body. Some amount of stress can be useful, it can help us push through our comfort zone. However, excessive amounts can leave us overwhelmed. This is what eventually leads to anxiety. Anxiety is a further reaction to stress. It has no clear cau