Sustainable community-based health and development programs in rural India

Abstract

In the broader context of Indian state's commitment to achieve health for all, this chapter attempts to study the cross cutting intervention of a non government group to bring about a holistic change in the lives of the communities by uplifting their socioeconomic and health status. The success story of Khoj - a VHAI project operational in the remote rural parts of the country is discussed. The chapter tries to establish the fact that we cannot achieve Health For All without building on the strengths of the people. In the Khoj projects there is no concept of recipients as the community is involved in managing the development efforts, as well as figuring out how to obtain the resources needed, (locally if possible). With a vision to create an enabling climate for an overall sociopolitical development of the community in the difficult terrains of the country, Khoj begins with developing an understanding of the social, economic, cultural and political dynamics of the community, and integrates the knowledge gained with action to improve the health and well-being of community members. The chapter is divided into three parts. The first part of this chapter briefly outlines the Health Sector in India - status and trends with a focus on the health inequities in the country. The second part discusses in detail the community-centric sustainable strategy of Khoj in three difficult settings and its impact on the overall well being of the population. The final part contains major findings and concluding remarks. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.