The world Cerebral Palsy Organization is a major global platform for Awareness on C P. Its Poster every year is widely circulated throughout the globe for various awareness activities on CP. For this year’s poster, the organization has selected Vihanga Director Aditi Shardul and her special son Harsh as the ideal parent and Special Kid pair. A proud moment for Vihanga as its work goes global through the poster! The local media highlighted this news as Pride of Aurangabad!

Rupali Barve, a handicapped girl from a poor family from Ramnagar was under stress and had lost all her hopes about her future! With the training courses at Basic and Advanced tailoring at Pragati Tailoring Training, Mukundwadi, she is on her own  now; earning for her family. Rupali is full of confidence and her story was published in a leading daily on Women’s Day.

Ms Minakshi Bhorge joined Pragati Food Processing and Catering Training for slum women at Milindnagar. The quality training was offered to her at a token fee. She completed the training but wanted to start her own entrepreneurship. SPMESM and BYST provided the vital hand-holding. She got a loan under Mudra Scheme by the Government and could set her business. A proud owner of a Floor Mill and a local brand of Chilly Powder, Minakshi now earning Rs. 10,000 per month and is very particular in repaying the loan. Today, she appears on the Government's advertisement for the scheme all over Maharashtra!

Neelam Kedare, lives in rented house in MIDC Chikalthana. Her family faced financial constraints when they migrated to the city, couple of years ago.  She was searching for an opportunity which would enable her earning something. Neelam, through a friend, walked in the Pragati Beautician Training Course by SPMESM at Mukundwadi. She completed an extensive, quality training with practically no fees at the center. Neelam also got a placement as an Intern at a reputed Beauty parlor of the town. Neelam was completely transformed in to a young entrepreneur after the training and started her own Beauty Parlor in a posh locality of Aurangabad; with which she is now earning 20000 Rs a month.

Thank you Ujjwal Bharat -School campus is free from junk food rappers now -- Ujjwal Bharat Team had sessions on Healthy Habits in Dongargaon Kawad School. One of them was about the Hazards of Junk Food. After one month, when the team visited the same school, the Headmaster looked very happy. He shared the students are no longer consuming junk food as the effect of the session! He observed the school campus is now free of various wrappers of junk food which used to be there all over!

Lata, Sanjeevani’s Arogya Mitra of Waghola is an active Health Volunteer in Sanjeevani Project. Her work on Pregnancy Care is so popular in the village, that even the school kids know she would be of help in someone in trouble. Recently, a ‘full- term’ pregnant lady from a neighboring village was traveling to the primary health center with her husband on his motorbike via Waghola. She started having labor pains and asked the husband to stop by the road. Waghola school kids passing by the road saw her condition and promptly called their ‘Lata Aunty’ who rushed to the couple; called the ambulance and assisted the lady with first aid while accompanying the lady to PHC.  Within 5 minutes of reaching the PHC; the lady gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Lata’s extraordinary coordination saved the life of the lady and her child. She was felicitated in a special program in the village where Hon. Haribhau Bagde, the Speaker of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

 Mrs. Saru Kumbhar, 28, and her brother Nagnath live in Ramnagar. Their father is the only breadwinner of the family who’d recently lost his job. Both Saru and Nagnath were advised to undergo ear surgeries and the three surgeries (Two for Saru and One for Nagnath) for the ruptured ear drums would cost them around Rs. 75000; which was way beyond their capacity. Luckily they reported to NSDL- SRAK project OPD from where they were referred to the parent hospital and eventually underwent the much needed surgeries within next 15 days. The Kumbhars could not believe that all the three surgeries which changed the quality of their lives did not cost a single Rupee to them! Today the family is volunteering with the project team on awareness on ear diseases in their locality.

Early Intervention of the Project saves Mother and baby! Poonam, a first time pregnant lady of Brijwadi reported to the ANC clinic when she was 13 weeks pregnant. The doctor at the ANC Clinic of NSDL SGAK Project found some serious life-threatening complications in her pregnancy on examination. She was duly referred to the parent hospital by the project team. Poonam received prompt treatment and a major complication was averted. With a strict follow up and utmost care, Poonam safely delivered a healthy baby girl in due course of time. Timely intervention and quick services saved the mother and the baby.

Mr. Haribhau Pandurang Karke, 65, lives alone in Milindnagar slum near the railway tracks. With no one there to care of Haribhau, he survives as a beggar in the area. Few days ago, NSDL- Guruvarya Lahuji Salve Slum Health Project Team met Haribhau in one of their field visits. They came to know that he is having many health issues and didn’t visit any health facility due to lack of money and absence of a care taker. The next day, they brought him to the project where he was diagnosed to have Cataract and was rapidly losing his vision. Haribhau needed a surgery but couldn’t even spend for his meals! Haribhau was not only successfully operated at Dr. Hedgewar Hospital for his cataract totally free of cost; but NSDL- GLSK Project Team also took his personal care during his hospital stay. Haribhau never stops thanking the project team, saying he’s got a new life!

Sangita Nagare, Naregaon slum, was a regular student of SPMESM’s Kishori Vikas Prakalpa (Adolescent Girls’ Project) up till now. With the family’s poor economic conditions, Sangita was sent to work with her mother and was eventually became a drop-out at KVP as well as at her school. Vandana Kasare, KVP Coordinator, visited her home to find out the reason. KVP Team had extensive counseling and follow up with Sangita’s family and finally could re-admit her at the school! The Principal at Sangita’s School praised KVP as his team had also tried to bring her back but had failed.

“Thanks Krishi Kanya- You’ve saved me from the pain!” In the villages where they didn’t have the tap water facilities or the hand pump conveniently located, the women have to face a lot of trouble to fetch the water from a distance. Traditionally, the women have the responsibility of fetching water at home. In villages like Donwada Tanda, where they’ve to fetch water from a distance of 2.5 Kms, it always was a painful thing for the women. They had persistent health problems due to this hectic job. We could find the solution when we came across “Water Wheel” specially designed for women who bear all the pain to fetch water from a distance. The rolling Drum with a capacity of 45 Litres is a gift for the women from the parched villages. Krishi Kanya Team provided 75 water wheels to women.

Dattu Tupe, Farmer, Shelgaon says, “We are facing severe drought this year too, we get a huge relief because of the work done by SPMESM; today our nearby villages are struggling for Drinking Water but we are not! The work done by the organization like MNBs, CCTs and De-silting of water bodies will make more water available for us. Because of the work I could get some water & could get crops like onion vegetables. We could survive during the less rain but with regular rainfall next year onwards we will get more results.”