Arogyam

Programme on mainstreaming and demonstrating local health traditions for the Health security and sustainable livelihood of the rural community across Orissa.

   Goal: - Revitalization, Conservation and Promotion of medicinal plant diversity and related    traditional knowledge to provide health and livelihood security at community level.

1. In-situ conservation of medicinal plant resources used by Indian system of medicine by establishing MPCPs, MPCAs and ethno medicinal gardens through participatory manner.
2. Identification of local healers (Vaidyas) and strengthening Local healers associations for recognition.
3. Systematic documentation and scientific assessment of medicinal plants and related traditional knowledge to combat the erosion and promote the effective LHP
4. Preparation of community health knowledge registers (CHKRs)- for protecting the LHPs from bio-piracy and fighting for the intellectual property rights of the community on applications of medicinal plants for sharing of benefits under bio-diversity act.
5. Establishment of Home Herbal Garden at the household level for providing health security at the doorstep.
6. Cultivation of medicinal plants for livelihood enhancement of rural tribes
7. Inclusion of eco-friendly health education system in schools.
8. Development of model herbal villages for inclusion of herbal therapy in the house holds level.
9. Promotion of medicinal plant enterprises owned by medicinal plant cultivators, medicinal plant collectors, local healers and women SHGs for sustainable livelihood-healing heritage Producers’ company.
10. Clinical trials for the most endemic disease like malaria to findout the prophylactic effectiveness of the region specific herbal medicines based on traditional health practices and promotion of the same in the different endemic zones.
11. Establishment of knowledge information center for dissemination of information related to traditional knowledge which leads to scientific evaluation of the knowledge and practice

Community Health Education Outreach Programmes:-

 

• Home Herbal Garden (HHG) An Innovation for Health and Livelihood Security

This programme is meant for propagating and utilizing medicinal plants at the house hold level to make primary health care available, accessible and affordable to the resource poor community.

• Community Health knowledge Register (CHKRS) A step for fighting against bio-piracy

This programme strives for protection of biodiversity related traditional knowledge from bio-piracy, Promotion of the wider application of the knowledge, innovation and practices of the local Health Practices of the indigenous communities with their approval and involvement and also ensures the equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the sustainable use of knowledge, innovations and practices .

• Strengthening folk healers association

Traditional healers are the only alternative for providing health facility in the community; they are the first referral point for health care needs of the remote areas. Due to lack of recognition and required resources they are changing their profession. Through Arogyam, SAMBANDH facilitates  health provision for the unreached rural community through folk healers association by making State level folk healers federation .Sambandh also capacitate the traditional healer’s association in terms of modern scientific tool for the documentation, assessment and promotion of traditional health care practices.

• Healing Heritage Producers’ Company: An eco-friendly business model

A community owned enterprise has been established with the involvement of SHGs, folk healers , medicinal plant collectors & cultivators for ensuring marketing linkages of medicinal plant products for livelihood enhancement of medicinal plant dependants and there by revitalization of traditional health care system.

• Research on efficacy of herbal anti-malarial

This study aims to determine the efficacy of the region specific traditional anti-malarial practice based on medicinal plants in different phyto-geographical areas of Orissa. The study has been conducted in Rayagada, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Cuttack districts. The study focused on the observation of volunteers for incidence of malaria during the study period and the changes in general health.

• Bio-systematic studies of ethno veterinary practices

The programme aims towards the documentation and evaluation of Ethno veterinary practices of indigenous community to provide green treatment to the livestock.

• Education

Eco-friendly health education system has been included in schools through Green Health clubs. Various trainings have been conducted to capacitate the rural community to cater primary health care at the doorstep. Capacitate folk healers on purification and standardization of traditional health practices. Conducted younger generation training for the continuity of the practices of the local health tradition.