Anchal’s holistic program is designed to address the diverse needs of each woman and provide them with the tools needed to sustain employment as an Anchal artisan and beyond. A vital part of our programming is to offer bi-annual health camps for our artisans to provide a medical check-up, eye exam, and put them in front of a doctor to address any concerns they may have regarding their health.
Our last health camp was organized for all artisans at Anchal's center December 19, 2017. We hosted two doctors, one for eye exams and the other for general health exams. In total, 60 artisans were able to attend, and all were able to visit with both doctors.
Out of the 60 artisans, vision problems were discovered with 43 of the women, and general eye issues with an additional 10. The doctors were able to address these needs immediately providing eye glasses and drops to all the women in need. Several of the women shared with us that they had been experiencing difficulties while doing kantha stitching, and the eye glasses and medicine will help tremendously!
After the eye exam, every artisan was given a full physical to determine overall health and take any course of medical action if needed. Anchal artisan Shakuntela shared, "In the last camp the doctor gave me some multivitamins which really helped me. In this camp, the doctor gave me more multivitamins which I am sure will help me in the long term."
These health camps are made possible by our generous supporters through group and individual donations. We are so grateful to be able to continue to provide this necessity to our artisans.