Philanthropy in India – Philanthropic investors in India essentially look for providing financial assistance and empowering those innovative organisations that impact the life at the bottom of the pyramid. We feels that efforts of the Uday Foundation would not only raise the level of the quality of life for children of India, but they would also deal in complete human development with good health. Today the demands of philanthropy in India are both in dimension and scope in some ways more intense than philanthropy in India were before.
In the early days, philanthropy in India was about creating development institutions such as hospitals, and initiatives of a nature which at the time were more about nation building than ours are today. Today, our philanthropic initiatives have greater focus, for example, on creation of awareness of things like child rights, neonatal health, right to education and more small community initiatives.
Philanthropy in healthcare – In India, most of the causes of deaths in the newborn period can be prevented or managed by households, communities and health facilities. But they often are unable to provide the required care. Also inappropriate practices such as delayed initiation of breastfeeding, delayed clothing and early bathing, not seeking care when newborns are sick and applying harmful material on cord-stump increase the risk of newborn deaths. Health facilities are often ill equipped to provide essential newborn care to all newborn and special newborn care to sick newborns.
How Uday Foundation was started
Uday Foundation started with my personal experience. After my delivery, I got to know that my son suffered from a defect called multiple congenital defects in which there are significant, definable, structural and/or developmental abnormalities observed at birth.
This came as a big shock to me and I was shattered because I had no idea what to do. My son went through 12 surgeries and we didn’t know how to go about it. This affected me in a big way and my husband and we tried our best to find about each and every bit of this disease through regular research,” says Tulika. With consistent efforts, the couple were able to find a way of healing their kid through proper care and medicines. Now, their child is fine and they thank God that the research that they did in the process is coming handy to help others. “Whatever happened with us, we don’t want anyone else to face that situation. Today, there are hundreds of ways of dealing with a disease, but the problem is lack of awareness. It was with the intention of creating awareness that we started Uday,” adds Tulika.
How Uday Foundation works
Uday Foundation started with a handful of parents and doctors of babies with birth defects and today it has blossomed into a non-profit institution fully dedicated to children, health and human rights.
The main objective of the Uday Foundation is to provide support services to children afflicted with congenital defects, critical disorders, syndromes, and diseases that affect their health, education and growth.
Treatment of congenital defects can be a huge drain on family finances, even if they are relatively well off. Through whatever limited funds we have, we try to disburse medical aid to as many patients as possible.
Volunteers are sent to children for storytelling sessions in schools, play schools and other places. “Our storyteller programme volunteers include students, professionals, celebrities who read stories to little patients at their bedside,” explains Tulika.
Then there is a service started by the foundation called rareblood groups.org which is India’s 1st online registry of rare blood type donors
including AB Negative Blood Group, A Negative Blood Group , B Negative Blood Group, O Negative Blood Group and Bombay Blood Type.
“Also, we create awareness about people with DSD or Disorders of Sex Development. People with DSDs are not third sex, they are just people with a medical problem that needs to be fixed with love, family support and proper counselling,.” says Rahul Verma.
Also, the foundation gives underprivileged children in India born with heart diseases appropriate treatment. Uday Foundation aims to assist early diagnosis and availability of monetary assistance for diagnostic purposes and surgical interventions.
Challenges
The duo had to face certain difficulties along the way. “People do not understand us always. Lots of people just think about themselves. Sometimes we face financial constraints as no aid comes from government,” says Tulika. She is working in NCERT and since this work requires utmost attention, Rahul has even sacrificed his job for doing foundation work whole-heartedly.
Rahul and Tulika have proved that nothing is impossible and social awareness is a must in today’s life. They have a happy kid who is healthy now and they feel proud to have done this for him and society as well.