Vavar-Health Check Ups

The main point of my stay in Vavar was to conduct school health check-ups. I started with the 7th graders as they are more likely to speak Gujarati. First I checked their vision with an eye chart and then I went through a list of questions to asses their health. "Do you have a fever? Does your tummy hurt? etc." The younger kids were really cute with their responses to "Can you see properly at night?" (we ask this to pinpoint Vitamin A deficiency). Many of them said "no, everything is dark at night" I would have to ask other questions to make sure that they could in fact see.

After the last check-up, we were going to play a slideshow to educate the 5th-7th graders on basic primary diseases that are common in their area. Predictably, th projector wouldn't work, so while they fiddled with the equipment, I decided to be brave and entertain the room full of kids. During the health check ups, I was most disturbed by the number of cavities I had seen so I asked the kids to raise their hands if they had tooth pain. About half of their hands went in the air. I asked them how many brushed their teeth everyday. An honest 3 were raised. I tried to ask them what happens when you don't brush, they were too shy to call out, but I could tell by their murmurs they knew the answer. I then asked them how to brush. They all used their finger to demonstrate. I copied and said "thats it? just the front 4?" They all said "NO!" and very diligently proceeded to properly air-brush their teeth with their finger. They covered every angle possible, they knew to use their finger if they didn't own a brush, and what else do you need? "COLGATE!" If you dont have colgate? "WATER!"

In a way, I was disappointed. They had all the information they needed and yet they still just did not make brushing a priority. Something so painful and yet so preventable and they just don't take action. It goes back to what I was saying in my last entry and even my very first entry. This population of people is so isolated that they have trouble with abstract thinking. Seeing is believing for them. If they can see the cause and effect, they can make the necessary change. But otherwise, the concept of preventative health care is lost on them, most specifically in circumstances like cavities, things that take time to develop.

Before I left I asked how many would brush their teeth everyday. All hands went up, but Vinayak Bhai assured me that they were just trying to make me feel good...they weren't actually going to start. And the truth is, why would they? I taught them nothing new.