Volunteering Archives - A Side of Sweet

Ways of Change – Jewelry With a Mission

How chic are these pieces? These photos and the video below are part of this fun Valentine’s Day collab I did with Ways of Change, an accessories brand whose main mission is to empower people affected by conflict and migration. I love when a brand allows me to feel good about supporting them and look good in the process!

Their beautiful jewelry and accessories are made from upcycled, organic, natural, cruelty-free, fairly traded and locally sourced materials. In addition to paying fair wages to their craftsmen, a portion of their profits will be used to support community projects.

Do Good:: The Warriors Organization

Today I want to share with you a non-profit organization that I hold dear to my heart. Founded by Masai warrior Isaya Lukumay, the Warriors Organization strives to preserve the culture and traditions of the Masaii people. Traditionally nomadic, the governments of Tanzania and Kenya are trying to encourage the Maasai to live in a single location and to abandon their customs.

The current goal of the Warriors Organization is to build a community education resource center in Eluai, Tanzania. The center will be a gathering place for Indigenous Communities to share knowledge, identity, and resolve issues facing them, and document their cultures. It will also provide resources in health, education and human rights. The Warriors Organization - A Non-profit dedicated to preserving Maasai people

When Isaya was growing up in Eluai, there was no primary school. Now, Eluai is lucky to have a primary school, though many children start school without a basic level of Swahili, the language used in Tanzanian primary schools. This lack is a major factor in creating a learning deficit that many Tanzanian children never overcome. A strong preschool in the village will help to prepare students to enter primary school and succeed. It will help prepare them to pass the test they need to take to get into secondary school. Education, as they see it, is the key to freedom. With a solid educational background and a strong sense of self and identity, the Maasai, along with other indigenous peoples of Tanzania (and throughout the world) will be able to help their communities develop with intention, according to their own unique visions.

The Warriors Organization - A Non-profit dedicated to preserving Maasai people

Their goal is to raise enough money to build a two-room schoolhouse that will accommodate up to 40 pupils in each room. Children aged five to fourteen will be able to attend this school for a year or two in preparation for primary school.

The organization plans to make this school as sustainable as possible, including the community in the planning, building and maintenance. They are thrilled to embark upon this very exciting project…AND they need your help to make it happen.

To show your support you can send donations to: The Warriors Organization, P.O. Box 985, Watertown, MA 02471 or donate through their website.

There are many ways to help out in addition to financial contributions, including advice, feedback, telling your friends about this project, hosting fundraisers, etc. Feel free to contact the organization directly at [email protected].

The Warriors Organization - A Non-profit dedicated to preserving Maasai people

Volunteering in the Dharamsala Slums – India

One half day per month, the doctors at Tibetan Delek Hospital volunteer in the Dharamsala slums via Tong-Len, a volunteer organization that aims to improve living conditions of misplaced families who inhabit the slums

Mobile Clinic - Volunteering in the Dharamsala Slums India

I wish I could say that I finished the day fulfilled and feeling like I’d made a difference, but that was definitely not the case. We did not have much of an idea what we were in for when the wonderful staff of Tong Len picked us up. When we arrived, we found that the local “tavern” (aka drinking tent) had been tidied up for us to use as our clinic away from home.

Tong Len Mobile Clinic - Volunteering in the Dharamsala Slums India

All medications could be dispensed on site without the need for a prescription. We could not do any blood tests or advanced examinations, instead we recommended that the patients visit the local hospital for testing for things like tuberculosis. Two local men translated for us and the patients formed a small mob waiting to be seen.

Tong Len Mobile Clinic - Volunteering in the Dharamsala Slums India

Mobile Clinic - Volunteering in the Dharamsala Slums India

We did out best with few resources and shoddy translation to diagnose and treat patients appropriately. It seemed like the patients had one of two complaints – back/body pain, or stomach pain. Both are incredibly nonspecific and usually fairly harmless as long as other “warning signs” are not present.” We treated them diclofenac gel (topical ibuprofen) or albendazole (de-worming medication) or a proton pump inhibitor (like Prilosec). In the words of one of the docs, “Given the living conditions, they probably all have worms.”

It seemed that some patients knew what medicine they needed before I even saw them. I asked the nurse running the clinic about this, and she said “Oh, they come every month with the same complaint. If they don’t get a medicine, they think the doctor is rubbish and go see someone else.” It’s unclear whether people even take the medicines, or if there is a stockpile hidden somewhere.

Mobile Clinic - Volunteering in the Dharamsala Slums India

Overall, it was very eye-opening to see the conditions of the Dharamsala slums and to see some of the good that Tong-Len is able to do. They run a tent school where children receive instruction in English, Hindi, and mathematics and they also started a fresh fruit and vegetable stand next door.

Tong Len Mobile Clinic - Volunteering in the Dharamsala Slums India

Mobile Clinic - Volunteering in the Dharamsala Slums India

Teenage Health Talks at Tibetan Children’s Village

Don’t forget that I’m donating all advertising revenue this month to Delek Hospital for the care of Tibetan refugees! Just click on the ads on both sides and bottom of the blog!

While volunteering at Tibetan Children’s Village, I was asked by the health committee to do some health education for the senior (grade 9-12) students while here. I gave separate boys and girls talks where the students were able to write down questions and submit them anonymously for me to answer.

I had tons of great questions on everything from acne to medicines that promise to make you taller to skin lightening creams. Just like we try to make ourselves tanner in the United States, the hope here is for fairer skin. The grass is always greener on the other side!

There were also a good number of sexual health questions, which I was very happy about. I really wanted the opportunity to dispel the myths that come with lack of knowledge and to promote healthy sexual behaviors.

(Click to enlarge)

The last health talk I gave was for World Health Day. It was for all of the senior students and ended up being about 500 students and staff! It was slightly intimidating to stand before such a large group and talk about being healthy. Okay, it was very intimidating!

I had a blast spending the week at TCV. It is my first time working with kids since September, as all of my recent rotations have been with adults. It really re-lit my passion for medicine and reconfirmed that training as a pediatrician will give me life-long fulfillment as a career. Working with kids is challenging and exciting and rewarding and I can’t wait to start residency at UCSF this summer!

Health Clinic at Tibetan Children’s Village {Travel}

When I was not doing health checks, I spent the day in clinic with Dr. Chungdok. He sees patients from 9:00am to 5:30pm. Despite the long hours and being the only doctor, there are a few nice things about the schedule…

Yes, doughnuts from the campus bakery is one of them! The kids aren’t the only ones with junk food problems! We did limit ourselves to one time per week though…

There is a chai tea break at 10:30am and the other is a long lunch break from 12:30pm to 2:30! Lunch is provided on campus and is delicious! In general, it is a combination of Tibetan and Indian food. Dal, Tibetan tingmo steamed bread rolls, fresh vegetables, Tibetan salted tea, and sweetened noodles. In general it seems fairly healthy and has more protein than the lunches provided at Delek. Because I’ve been running every morning and then do a 35 minute walk to TCV every morning, I really appreciated this.

Above is the doctor’s clinic room on the left and the dental hygienist’s room. Doesn’t she have a beautiful set up? It’s as nice as most North American dentist offices, and is thanks to a generous organization based out of Germany.

Above is the laboratory. They have the ability to do basic blood tests like blood counts, electrolytes, hepatitis testing and urine testing.

They also have a few inpatient beds for kids to spend the night. Most of the kids I met who were in the hospital were kept for short term observation for fever/cold symptoms.

A Week Volunteering at the Tibetan Children’s Village

I was lucky to be able to spend a week at the Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV) volunteering during my time in Dharamsala. Tibetan Children’s Village is an amazing place where 2,000 Tibetan children go to school. In addition, 90% of the children live at TCV in dormitories! Either their families are still in Tibet, or they live too far away for the children to come to school every day. I had a chance to take a peek at the dormitories. There are four to five children per dorm room and they are very simple – just bunk beds and a small space for clothes and personal items. There are up to five people in an 8-foot by 8-foot space! The dorms are separated into girls and boys and the children are grouped by age. The junior group is K-4, the intermediate group is grades 5-8 and the seniors age grades 9-12. By the time they graduate, the children are fluent in English and many go to college or work in the tourism industry.

This picture is in the main auditorium. Some of the older kids held a concert where they ang traditional and more modern Tibetan songs.

The children all get yearly health checks, which were happening while I was visiting. I was able to help Dr. Chungdok, the TCV doctor do physicals for hundreds of TCV students. He is the only doctor at TCV and this keeps him very busy! He sees all the children and all the staff whenever they have problems. He is responsible for about 2,500 people!

I was able to do physicals for the grade 12 class. The younger children had already been completed before I arrived.

The health check consisted of a visit with the dental hygienist, an eye check and then a brief physical. I first asked each child if they had any problems or worries and then checked eyes, heart, lungs and abdomen. There were no exam tables, so everything was done with the patient sitting in a chair!

The biggest worries and problems that the students have are abdominal pain and back pain. It seemed that at least 25% of them had some sort of pain in the epigastric (stomach) region. It is hard to know the exact cause of this pain, but it could be due to stomach acid, anxiety, and eating too much junk food – or a combination of all three! Most of the back pain was very nonspecific and probably muscular.

TCV has many of the same problems that we are facing in the United States. Junk food is easily accessible in the kiosks around the campus and the kids are crazy for it! Every time I walked around campus, there were kids eating chips and other junk food. I was offered a try and it was just like the United States – bright orange cheesy puffs that tasted like there were no actual food ingredients in them. The health committee has been working hard to curb junk food intake by limiting sales on campus. There is one store that sells snacks and they no longer sell soda or some of the least healthy snacks. The kids can still walk to the main road and buy whatever they like though. There is also a fresh fruit and vegetable stand on campus where the children can buy healthy snacks at a reduced cost. For staff, the cost is slightly above what the stand pays the farmers. I’ve been stocking up on grapes and bananas every day!

The campus stretches up the side of a mountain, so climbing stairs is a part of everyone’s routine. It takes about 20 minutes to walk from the lower part of TCV to the top! I think this helps to balance out some of the junk food, but there were still a few kids that I had to talk to about being overweight. It’s especially a problem in the girls because they are less likely to be active in sports like the boys are.

I also caught the senior graduation ceremony while I was there. It was all in Tibetan, of course, but it was still fun to listen. Dr. Kunchok, one of the TB specialists at Delek Hospital, was a featured speaker and being honored for being a former TCV student and now being very successful. He received the most laughs by far and covered a variety of topics including Facebook, the New York Times, National Geographic, scholarships, and the American sentiment and appreciation of the Tibetan refugee population. I couldn’t tell you more than that, these are the only words that I picked up because Facebook, etc. in Tibetan are the same in English!