Hi my name is Saloni, I’m a Year 5 medical student and co-founder of the Mahim Aboli Foundation.
225 towels, 450 handkerchiefs, 675 sets of undergarments. This is the number of hygiene products that the Mahim Aboli Foundation distributed this summer.
To backtrack, MAF is a non-profit that my sister and I cofounded in 2016. We aim to improve the education and healthcare level provided to children in Zilha Parishad schools in Mahim. Mahim is a small coastal village a hundred kilometres north of Mumbai. It is also the village where I was born and where half my family resides. Zilha Parishad schools are government-run primary schools all over India which have grades 1 through 4 (the equivalent of P3-P6). Due to the sheer amount of schools all across India, funding is an issue. Furthermore, the students who attend these schools tend to be from low income backgrounds. Their parents are usually labourers or farmworkers and make about £100 per month.
The idea to found MAF arose from long bicycle rides that my sister and I used to take around Mahim during our school summer holidays. It was impossible to ignore the disparity between the lives the children had and our own privileged experiences.
Planning carefully to bring about real change
From its conception, I was keen that MAF would not be a non-profit that simply dumped donations on the schools’ doorsteps. I believe real change can only come about if core issues are identified and solutions devised accordingly. I have seen donation drives with the ZP schools we work with where, for instance, a business company donated a computer. This would have been useful if all the other components (wifi connection, useful applications etc.) had been installed too. I didn’t want MAF to be another one of these initiatives.
Working with school teachers
Before initiating any campaign, we have a discussion with all the school teachers (of the ZP schools). They are in frequent contact with the students’ parents. Often, the schools are situated within communities too so the teachers are able to share their observations. Our personal hygiene campaign was no different. We learnt how many students didn’t have their own toothbrushes, often needing to share with their family members. They had to use hand-me-down undergarments from older siblings and share towels within their family. All of this, understandably, contributed to poor hygiene.
Highlighting the importance of health and hygiene
For this reason, we organised the hygiene campaign consisting of raising funds and distributing undergarments and underwear, towels and handkerchiefs every year to six Zilha Parishad schools. This year was no different though we also distributed toothbrushes and toothpaste. In addition to our distribution, we explained why hygiene was important and how diseases spread much faster. We explained how cavities formed if oral hygiene is not maintained.
MAF’s next major project will be the annual health and dental camp we organise for the same schools. This will take place at the end of November. The students live so far from health centres that it can be difficult for them to access healthcare. Furthermore, they are also discrimianted against due to being from lower income backgrounds. As part of our health camp, we organise a team of doctors and dentists who volunteer their weekend to perform an annual checkup of the children we work with. We identify students who require further medical treatment and sponsor their appointments and treatments with specialist doctors.
Witnessing real time change
I sincerely feel that working with MAF has been one of the most rewarding parts of my life. I love interacting with the children even if they sometimes make fun of my Marathi. I love that I can see the changes happening before my eyes: a student blowing their nose into a handkerchief instead of their school uniform, another proudly telling me how they brushed their teeth morning and night the past week.
It is definitely an organisational challenge given that I spend pretty much the full year in Edinburgh. I would be remiss not to mention our dedicated team of volunteers and board members who ensure that MAF runs yearlong.
If you’re interested in getting involved with us please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me by email. You can also find more information on our website.
Email Saloni at S.More-1@sms.ed.ac.uk
Visit the Mahim Aboli Foundation website
