Student Name: Mira Bhatia -- Finalist (High School Cohort)

Grade During 2019-2020 Academic Year: 9th Grade

Hometown: Chicago, IL

We Rise by Lifting Others

Of the 1.3 billion people that live in India, roughly 70% of them live in rural areas. These rural areas are often surrounded by rough, hilly terrain and are remote from hospitals and doctors. I believe that the most urgent and significant issue facing India and its people is a lack of access to basic healthcare. Many more Indians are seeking private health care, often for things as minor as a sore throat. Many are unable to pay for the healthcare they seek from private hospitals.  The lack of money creates a cycle of untrained healthcare works, which is why private hospitals lack the funding to properly train healthcare workers.  Most healthcare facilities are in urban areas, leaving rural areas devoid of adequate healthcare facilities.  A very large percentage of India’s population still resides in rural areas. The lack of health services in rural areas is a significant issue as the people living in rural villages make up a relatively large portion of the population that may be afflicted with illness. The rural villagers are disadvantaged in two ways; they are far from healthcare, and they are more at risk for illness because of the lack of preventative care. If more awareness and resources were available for training and supplies for healthcare workers, it would have an enormous impact on the health of rural Indians. These villagers deserve adequate healthcare, and I hope to highlight the plight of the rural Indian population to Americans and Indians living outside of India, so we can work together to help bring to the Indian villagers the care they deserve. 

This past October, I had the chance to visit a healthcare program in Haridwar, India that provides additional training to the government-funded ASHA workers. An ASHA worker is a community health worker trained in maternal and neonatal health that works and lives in the same village where she provides care. The Maternal and Neonatal Survival Initiative (MANSI) program provides additional training to ASHA workers. ASHA workers work in villages with some of the highest infant and maternal mortality rates in the world, with about 77 per 1000 babies dying. Programs like MANSI help strengthen and further hone the skills of these community health care workers. While I was visiting, I learned about the dire need for funding. The MANSI program needed funding for more educational lessons (for the ASHA workers) and for products they innovated to help improve children's survival. After hearing their stories and learning about the supplies they needed, I was inspired to organize and lead a campaign in the United States. I organized a fundraiser to raise money for the specialized products they needed, but a more urgent issue emerged, COVID-19. The families and healthcare workers in the Haridwar villages already experience a crippling mortality rate, so lack of essential supplies would be devastating. The campaign quickly switched gears to raising money for COVID-19 supplies. Our campaign with the Chicago Circle of Hope raised over $15,000 and brought basic hygiene and food supplies to the people in the villages as well as supplies such as masks and soap to the community healthcare workers so that they could stay safe during home visits. 

I believe that the role that young people can play is to identify an issue that needs support, raise awareness, and educate people about it. Young people and older people in this country have access to many resources, which gives them an opportunity to share the resources for the health and safety of others. The resources include access to accurate information about healthcare, the ability to share accurate information, and the capability to educate people on the severity and need surrounding healthcare in India. My goal is to continue making a positive impact on healthcare in India by educating others. Varsha Kaura, an active Indian American philanthropist, recently shared with me, "We have to remember that talent is equally distributed, but the opportunity is not. By doing our share, we are trying to bridge the gap between opportunity and talent." This is a crucial sentiment when addressing the Indian American community regarding philanthropy. Much of the Indian American community has witnessed and understands the lack of health resources. As Indians in the United States become prosperous, we are uniquely positioned to provide resources to those in need of aid. As more Indian Americans give and see the impact of their generosity, it will inspire others to do so too. 

I am inspired by the dedication and tireless effort that the MANSI program puts into their work and am in awe of how many people donated and have their time to the MANSI program fundraiser. It motivates me to see the real-life impact that giving money has. The work that American India Foundation and Indiaspora have done to help relieve some of the burdens from the families in India during this COVID crisis is phenomenal and energizes me to make a positive impact in the lives of rural families with minimal access to healthcare. As Varsha Kaura said, there are 1.3 billion people in India, all with so much talent and potential, and I would like to be a part of the solution that brings more opportunity. In order for people to find and harness their talent, their basic healthcare needs must be met. With a more robust healthcare system in place, individuals have the freedom and strength to tap into their potential, creating a self-sustaining cycle of good health and prosperity.

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4621381/