"Do you really come to help us? When will you come again?" This is what the villagers of Jagdishpur, in Bihar province in eastern India, asked the Tzu Chi volunteers from Singapore and Malaysia.
"Yes, we are here to help, and we will come back very soon!" the volunteers replied with assurance. The villagers eagerly anticipated their assistance in resolving their water issues and hoped to see them again.
On July 17th, the volunteers made their first visit to Jagdishpur and conducted initial poverty assessments with Village Chief Dinesh Kumar. On the 23rd, they sought the chief's permission to conduct health check-ups for the villagers. Then, on the 25th, they carried out a training program to teach women and young people in the village how to measure blood pressure, height, weight, and calculate BMI (Body Mass Index); this is an indicator of body fat that helps determine underweight, healthy weight, overweight, and obesity. This initiative aimed to establish health records for over two hundred households in the village, considering the limited resources available.
The volunteers' dedication and commitment to return to the village were met with appreciation and hope from the villagers, who looked forward to their continued support and presence.
Mutual Learning
Lin Jin-yan (林金燕), a nurse and a member of the medical volunteer team, brought along a laptop and started communicating with village resident Sneha Shah in English. Then Sneha explained to the villagers in Hindi what high blood pressure is and its impact on overall health. After that, she guided them through the process of operating the blood pressure monitors and recording the measurements. To ensure that they grasped the technique correctly, those who learned it had to assist the next person in taking their measurements.
Next came the practice of measuring height and weight. Lin reminded them to zero the weight scale and stand in the center to avoid inaccuracies. It was the first time that many villagers came to know their actual weight; so, when the Seed Volunteers (local volunteers) had finished practicing, they requested to have their weights measured as well -- this was gladly accommodated.
Most of the women in the village weighed between the thirties and forties in kilograms; the adult men were relatively lightweight, ranging from the forties to fifties in kilograms, indicating a lean physique. This was notably different to people in Europe, America, and Taiwan who are constantly trying to reduce weight. When the medical team went to local schools to conduct health checks of the teachers and staff, they found that those above middle age had prominent bellies, and their weight and blood pressure were relatively high. This observation suggested a possible connection with their habits -- inadequate water intake, lack of exercise, and diet.
After measuring height and weight and recording the data on the forms, the volunteers proceeded to learn how to input this information into their mobile phones and calculate the BMI value. The Seed Volunteers were attentive and engaged, taking the task of operating their phones seriously. Lin Jin-yan, the nurse, first explained in English how to interpret the results; then Indian volunteer Endrajeet Paswan further clarified in Hindi.
As for the urine tests, they were to be taught two days later. Although only nine Seed Volunteers attended the training, not as many as in Silaunja Village, they firmly believed that every beginning leads to more. They anticipated that more villagers would join the effort in the future.
Progress Ahead of Schedule
On the morning of July 27th, the volunteers hopped onto tuk-tuks and endured a bumpy 40-minute ride to meet the villagers once again; they embarked on a house-to-house health check for those aged eighteen and above. The village lacked house numbers, making it difficult to identify which households had completed the health check; Nurse Lin Jin-yan came up with a solution. Starting from Silaunja Village, she crafted homemade house numbers, creating a map for easy navigation in order to locate individuals.
To save costs and promote environmentalism, the day before (July 26th), she and other volunteers had repurposed recycled cardboard boxes; they cut them into small pieces, labeled them with numbers, reinforced them with tape, and punched holes to thread a string through. Thus they created numbers for the houses! Although it might seem simple, it took the team from early morning until after 10 pm to complete the production of 208 house numbers. If they needed more, additional numbers would be made as required.
Despite having trained nine volunteers the day before, only four Seed Volunteers were able to participate on the 27th: Pratima Devi, Kunti Kumari, Vikram Kumar, and Sudhir Kumar. Sudhir Kumar, who used to smoke and drink, expressed his willingness to quit these habits to become a volunteer. Today, when asked by the volunteers, he confirmed that he had indeed refrained from smoking and drinking.
Vikram Kumar has a passion for studying; the day before, he had read a passage from Mahatma Gandhi's teachings to the volunteers at his home. Though he lacked a computer, he combined a keyboard and a mobile phone for word processing, as a way to transform his own future.
Additionally, Manish Kumar and Amit Kumar, who had participated in promoting the spirit of bamboo tubes in the Sujata Bazar market area of the Sujata Village, joined in to lend their assistance. They joined the original medical team member Endrajeet and the Tzu Chi volunteers from Singapore, including Chen Xiu-zhu (陳秀珠), and from Malaysia, including Tan Lian Xi (陳聯喜) and Zhao Han Yuan (趙漢源), as well as the Malaysian nurse Huang Yulian (黄玉蓮) to form a united and dedicated team. Huang made use of her one-week business trip to India to contribute to the country of the Buddha.
Full Effort Despite the Bustle
All the volunteers entered the first household in the village; although there was some initial chaos, they quickly established synergy. Some volunteers were responsible for measuring blood pressure, others for height and weight, and others for registration. Urine tests were conducted outdoors, with each task assigned to specific individuals, allowing them to proceed one after another smoothly.
As Chen Lian Xi hung up the No. 1 house number, the entire process became increasingly streamlined. After the initial results were obtained, the two nurses reviewed them. If there were traces of blood in the urine, they ruled out menstrual issues for women and considered possible urinary tract infections or other problems. If urinary protein levels were high, they would remind the individuals to drink more water. If blood pressure readings were high, they would take another measurement to ascertain if anxiety during the examination had influenced the result. Initial findings indicated that most BMI values were within acceptable ranges. But a few individuals had elevated blood pressure, requiring further monitoring.
As the volunteers began their work during the busy farming season, they noticed that some rice fields were already flooded, while others had rice seedlings planted. Many households had their male members out working, so follow-up measures would need to be considered for those missed during the initial visit. Nurse Lin Jin-yan, seeing that everyone was understanding how things worked, accompanied by Amit Kumar, proceeded to inspect the locations of other houses in the village and sketched a map.
The volunteers diligently repeated the health check process without hindrance, going from one household to another. The original goal was to perform at least ten health checks in a day, but they had already accomplished this by around 10 o'clock. Lin Jinyan, not ready to call it a day, said: "Let's continue!" As it approached noon, there was a light drizzle, and a total of 19 households with 28 villagers had their health checks completed. If one household had not been unoccupied, they could have achieved twice as much that day.
"Tomorrow, let's start with this household and then move on to another area," Lin said confidently, holding a sketch with the completed health check locations in her hand. The volunteers had been on the go since 7 in the morning, walking through the village continuously for nearly four to five hours. Some were starting to feel tired, but 71-year-old Nurse Lin Jin-yan remained in good spirits.
"I'd rather be doing this than sitting idle. Instead of watching TV sitting at home, I prefer to be out here, giving back with my expertise," she said. With less than a month left before her return to Singapore, she earnestly hoped that the health checks in Jagdishpur Village would be completed and analyzed before she left. While others may see her dedication as pushing herself to the limit, she simply stated: "Age is not an issue; it's all about the mindset." Bravo! Nurse Lin Jin-yan, you truly deserve our admiration!
A Sense of Duty
On the afternoon of the 23rd, as soon as she arrived in Bodhgaya, without taking a breath, Nurse Huang Yulian changed into her gray Tzu Chi uniform; she immediately went to Room 108 to prepare dinner for the volunteers who were still outside on their mission. Busy and covered in sweat, she, as a nurse, would not miss the health check, even after joining the charity team to promote the spirit of bamboo tubes.
On the 25th, when she arrived at the village, she heard from a mother that her child had a fever a few days earlier. Nurse Huang quickly checked the child's head and abdomen to assess their health. Seeing that the child still had good energy levels, she advised the mother to continue monitoring the situation.
"The venerable Master told us to transform the Budda’s Homeland, and I feel a responsibility to shoulder the mission in Bodhgaya. I want to understand what the people here truly need, what resources they have, and what medical facilities are available," Huang Yulian said. She had already gained some understanding of Bodhgaya's situation from Tzu Chi's reports about it.
During her business trip to India, she took the opportunity to share the efforts made by the volunteers in Bodhgaya with local medical professionals.
"They were very moved and grateful that we came from abroad to contribute here," she said. She encouraged them to help their fellow countrymen and contribute to the land. Her positive message received a warm response as they expressed: "Thank you for letting us understand the needs here, and you all came from such a distant place. We are willing to work together."
Nurse Huang Yulian wished to care for the villagers more. She believed that teaching the locals how to perform health checks would be beneficial as they share a common language. Observing the willingness of young people and women to join was heartening. Despite language barriers, she noted that the medical team had sufficient preparation from previous health check experiences in other villages. They trained local volunteers who were proficient in Hindi and English to understand the content and significance of the checks. This meticulous planning enabled a smooth execution of the plan, and she was impressed by the dedication of the team.
"Turning around the society or mindset of Bodhgaya is not an easy task," Huang Yulian said. She visited the austere forest in Bodhgaya, to contemplate the hardship the Buddha endured during his ascetic practices. She believed that, with the united faith, perseverance, and courage of the team, "We don't need to go through ascetic practices, but we can channel that kind of perseverance into this land, promoting positive change."
Turning around the Buddha’s Homeland is a long-term endeavor that requires effort in relays. "Even though each person has their own career and family responsibilities, this is Master Cheng Yen's wish. As long as the initial aspiration remains, everyone will be willing to contribute," she said. She believed that, as long as the message about Bodhgaya reaches more people and raises awareness of the reality and needs there, more members of the Tzu Chi International Medical Association from Singapore and Malaysia would be inspired to come. Given the opportunity, she will return to continue her connection with the Buddha’s Homeland -- something she hopes and aspires to achieve.
A Jing Si aphorism says: “If we do nothing useful, our life will pass by in vain. But, if we keep working for the betterment of mankind, ours will be a great life.”
Join Tzu Chi. Let us make our world a better place.
Story by Chu Hsiu-lien | 2023/07/28
