Chandigarh

This week has been really amazing so far. Nancy, Emily, and I woke up at 5 on Monday morning (no easy feat when 9 1/2 hours ahead of Columbus time) and caught a train to Chandigarh, which is the capital of the states of Punjab and Harayana in northwest India. The Delhi train station was quite an adventure - it is enormous and very crowded, even early in the morning, with lots of children and old people begging, and quite a nauseating smell (I don't think Oma's "constipation in the station" song has made it to India yet). The train itself was pretty nice, and Chandigarh is a very nice town, with much less craziness than Delhi.


We are working with an NGO called SWACH, which oversees a number of projects addressing HIV/STIs, adolescent health, and antenatal care/safe deliveries. It is quite an impressive organization - very well run and sustainable, with a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff. On the first day, we visited the general government-run hospital in Chandigarh, where people can get free care, labs, and medicines if they are willing to queue up at 6 in the morning and wait all day. We got to tour the lab facilities and blood bank there, and learn about how they are testing for HIV and screening blood products - remarkably similar to how the US does it.



SWACH's HIV prevention efforts are targeted to female sex workers, and in the afternoon we got to meet with a group of women at a drop-in centre who have been taught how to educate their peers about condom use and getting tested for STIs. We had a very candid conversation with these women, during which they answered all of our questions about their efforts in the community, their profession, and the issues they face. It was absolutely amazing how open they were with us, and how much they wanted to teach us about their lives and struggles helping to support their families.


Today we drove to a remote village called Yamananagar (try saying that 3 times fast - or just once for that matter), and visited the adolescent health site. We got to meet with a group of adolescent girls and educate them about menstrual health - something that is not taught in schools or at home. Also a very open and candid session, which the girls really appreciated, and which felt very rewarding to be a part of. We ate lunch at the home of the village leader, who told us all about life and culture in rural Indian villages.



We are staying at a guest house with a family and 8 other Indian girls who are in Chandigarh for work or school. We eat family-style dinners every night, and it has been very nice getting to know people here. Everyone is extremely friendly and welcoming - at times a little too forceful with serving us chai and seconds/thirds/fourths of meals - but overall great.


Hope all is well!

Tricia