Posted: 08/11/2010
On Thursday 4th October, Asha was honoured to receive Dr Kim Hames, the Deputy Premier of Western Australia, for a visit to Dr Ambedkar Basti slum.
Dr Hames was welcomed at the entrance to the slum by Asha Founder Dr Kiran Martin, students from the slums and Asha staff. He was accompanied by 3 other visitors including Mr Peter Forby, the Regional Director of the Western Australia Trade Office, India.
Above: Dr Martin with Dr Hames in the slum
On the way to the Resource Centre, Dr Martin explained to Dr Hames that Dr Ambedkar Basti was the first slum she worked in when setting up Asha’s first clinic in 1988. At the resource centre, college students from Dr Ambedkar Basti, Kusumpur Pahadi, the Mobile Van areas and Kanak Durga had a discussion with the Deputy Premier, wherein they shared the problems they faced living in the slums and going to college as well. Most disruptive of their studies are the frequent power cuts and noise. In addition many slums like Kusumpur Pahadi have no water supplies and the responsibility usually falls on the students’ shoulders to wait 2 hours or more every day for water from government supplied trucks.
The visitors heard how girls in the slums are normally expected to get married after Class 12, while boys are sent to start earning. This topic was very interesting to Dr Hames who shared his own family background. His own father was uneducated until the first medical school was started in his area, after which his father studied and became a doctor. Dr Hames said that because of the struggles his father went through for education, he himself had received many benefits.
The Deputy Premier explained that he decided to enter politics because as a doctor, he would meet only patients, but as a politician he would meet lots of people, get to travel the world, be his own boss and allocate funds to worthy causes. He motivated the children to come to Australia to study. He said that in Australia, everyone gets the opportunity to play and go to school. Dr Hames said “You are an inspiration to all of us. I hope to see some of you in Australia.”
Mahesh from Dr Ambedkar Basti shared about his experiences, getting help from Asha to go to private school and successfully take the engineering entrance exam. A 3rd year college student shared about volunteering at the Commonwealth Games. She was very proud of her certificate and of the opportunity to have met the Australian Team.
Dr Hames also visited the Asha dispensary, where he met with the women’s group and Community Health Volunteers who told him how the slum problems are fewer and the situation much better now than when Asha first started working there. Lastly he visited a few students’ homes to see the reality of how they live.
Asha is very grateful for his visit and the donation he made to the programme.
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My son died when he was a baby as he had diarrhoea and I didn't know the right way to treat him. I was depressed and ashamed, and wouldn't go out for a long time. Asha convinced me to join a women's group and to learn how to recognise and treat different health problems. Now, I've been a Community Health Volunteer for 16 years and only one other child has died from diarrhoea in that time - I'm determined to make sure there are no more.
Gyanwati, Community Health Volunteer, Kalkaji
