Volunteer Story

One volunteer with Aim Abroad went to a nearby orphanage in Delhi NCR for two weeks and recently finished his project. At the orphanage, this volunteer was able to make something incredible happen for one of the orphans (a young man of 17 years). He was speaking to the orphan, and the orphan explained to the volunteer that he had come from a middle class family in a nearby state, Uttar Pradesh, and had run away from home. The volunteer asked the young man, why he had run away, and he replied that he had been involved in drugs and gangs back home, and he was so ashamed of his past that he decided to run away, so as not to shame his family. Well, the volunteer spent much time with the young man, and eventually he convinced him to call his parents. Before the volunteer's two week stay at the orphanage ended, the young man's parents came to the orphanage to pick him up. He went home and happily reconnected with his family. We were so happy to hear that the volunteer was able to reunite a broken family.

Children and their Art

Some of the underprivileged children at our local school in Delhi NCR are very very talented in art! As I mentioned before, one volunteer, a graphic designer in the US, started to teach some art classes at the local school, and the children made beautiful sketches! These children have never had any formal training in the field, and we would like to offer the best possible for these children! The children started to learn some designing skills on a computer, but unfortunately, the children do not have access to electricity during school, as the school does not have any real facilities. The school is looking for funding to afford electricity and running water in their school facility: but the children themselves are helping with the funding as well! The program coordinator takes several of the drawings and creates calendars, bookmarks, greeting cards, etc. and gives them away to raise awareness of the school and its wonderful children. Some of our volunteers have donated supplies or have made donations to the school in exchange for the calendars, greeting cards, and bookmarks. The volunteers will donate these back in their countries and try to raise funds for the school! These children really deserve an education, which they are receiving, but we hope to make their academic process more comfortable, by having, what would be luxuries to them, such as running water and electricity.

Tuberculosis Patient at the Pediatric Hospital

Today at the pediatric hospital there were several cases, but one interesting case was a patient with tuberculosis. The patient was only six years old, and had been having tuberculosis for three months. With medicine, the infection was diminished, but quickly grew resistant to the treatment and became very virulent for the patient. The patient seemed incapacitated, and was constantly sleeping. The doctor explained that administering another antibiotic could be life-threatening, as the bacteria could become resistant to the medicine. He said that the disease was considered Drug Resistant Tuberculosis. The best care for the patient would be to take a blood sample of the patient: Then, they will grow strains of the bacteria, and test different pharmacological treatments on the patient's specific tuberculosis. After determining all of the medicines that would be effective, the doctors will administer a "drug cocktail," a series of all of the drugs that were effect, to ensure that all of the bacteria can be killed before growing resistant to a particular treatment. The procedure will take some time, but they already withdrew the patient's blood sample, and they will begin running tests immediately. The medical volunteers with Aim Abroad learned a great deal today!

Amritsar

Some volunteers with Aim Abroad went on a short trip to Amritsar this past weekend! Most notably, they went to the Golden Temple and Wagah Border, among other places, while there. Describing the Golden Temple as spectacular, the volunteers only had wonderful things to say about their trip. They even preferred the Golden Temple to the Taj Mahal! They explain that the Taj Mahal is wonderful, but it is just a building; whereas the Golden Temple feels like the Temple itself is alive, since there is so much energy always around the Temple! At any hour, the Golden Temple will be like this, so full of spirit. The volunteers stayed in the travelers quarters of the Golden Temple, where many western people are welcome to stay free of charge, with a bathroom, beds, and food all inclusive. The border was also an interesting site. The volunteers saw the border patrol ceremony, where guards from India and Pakistan do the ceremony each day. The people on either side of the border were so proud of their countries, and it really showed! With Aim Abroad, we always help volunteers organize trips in India for weekends when they are not volunteering. We have helped people go to many cities around India, and are always happy to help and hear about their wonderful trips!

Ultrasound Clinic Case

Today at the ultrasound clinic the volunteers saw a few interesting cases. Most of the patients had kidney stones and abdominal pains, and some checked on the status of their pregnancies. The volunteers saw the doctor use the ultrasound machine to check blood flow in the fetus, and the machine could even reproduce the sound of the pulse in the important developmental arteries. Most of the babies were fine, but one case was very sad. The patient was eight months pregnant, and, looking at the ultrasound from the neck down, the fetus was fairly healthy, as the organs, vitals, and digits were formed properly; however, the fetus' head was missing: From the neck up, the baby had not formed. The patient had not had an ultrasound of her baby during her entire eight-month pregnancy. The patient had to deliver the fetus. These cases are very sad and unfortunate, but we need people to bring awareness to those in need of health care that they absolutely must check on their pregnancies as early as possible. I hope that with more volunteers, we can raise awareness of health needs, and encourage many to seek the care they need.

First-Aid Program

A volunteer with Aim Abroad initially started our first-aid program for underprivileged children. He was a doctor back in the United States, and he donated many medical supplies to the school. At the school, he taught many of the teachers how to give proper medical treatment to the children with burns, cuts, bacterial skin infections, stomach aches, common colds, etc. The teachers wrote a book of instructions for the other teachers in English and Hindi, so that any teacher give the correct medicine to a child in need of basic health care. Our program has come a long way, ever since the volunteers started helping out with the many projects we have available. We are so happy to reach out and be as successful as possible, to enrich the lives of those in need.

Mental Health Patient

At the hospital today, one patient came with wounds around her wrists. The doctor at the hospital treated her deep cuts and dressed her wounds. Explaining to the volunteers what had happened, the doctor described that the patient had been under much pressure at a very competitive school, and she took the matter into her own hands. He related that while she was harming herself, as her cuts had become painfully deep, she started screaming and rushed to the hospital. After explaining the situation to the volunteers, the doctor then had to help treat other patients. One volunteer, with a particular interest in mental health, asked the doctor if he could speak with the patient, which the doctor allowed. Though the patient did not want to discuss her situation, she had a nice conversation with the volunteer, who gave her as much emotional support as he could. It is very sad that most mental health patients' matters are almost brushed under the table, and doctors in developing countries can usually only focus on physical concerns of patients because of their limited time available to patients. I hope that we can balance our healthcare for mental and physical needs in any country in the very near future, as a healthy mind is just as important as a healthy body.