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Arunah Chandran: Empowering Grassroots for Cancer Awareness in Udaipur, Rajasthan

Arunah Chandran/LinkedIn

Aug 16, 2024, 20:26

Arunah Chandran: Empowering Grassroots for Cancer Awareness in Udaipur, Rajasthan

Arunah Chandran,Public Health Officer, Equity and Diversity Officer shared a post on LinkedIn:

“Empowering Grassroots for Cancer Awareness in Udaipur, Rajasthan

Today, we had the privilege of meeting with Seva Mandir led by Mr Ronak Shah a remarkable NGO in Rajasthan that has been empowering grassroots communities.

Their work with Self Help Groups (SHGs), which primarily focus on credit and microfinancing, has reached thousands of women, providing them with social education, peer support, and leadership opportunities.

Our discussion was crucial as we explored ways to integrate cancer early diagnosis into their existing programs.

Seva Mandir’s experience in health-related areas such as improving safe motherhood practices and addressing malnourishment in children offers valuable insights into the challenges we’ll face, especially around the social taboos and gender dynamics that impact healthcare access in Rajasthan.

We pitched the idea of training SHG leaders as counsellors and educators to create a sustainable, grassroots-driven approach to early cancer detection.

Our goal is to ensure that both women and men in these communities are informed and empowered to seek cancer care without stigma.

Our idea is to build a program designed to empower a strong network of informed leaders. Super excited about this partnership with GBH American Hospital, IARC – International Agency for Research on Cancer / World Health Organization and the impact it could have on early cancer diagnosis in Udaipur.”

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