Gonoshastha Kendra (GK) which translates roughly into People’s Health Center is a highly successful NGO (non-governmental organization) in Bangladesh that has achieved wonders in healthcare and gender equality. I met with Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury (introduced to me by Sally Bachman), the chief of GK and we concocted up several pilot programs.
The first would provide 6 indigenous chickens to each of 200 ultra-poor individual women with the goal of enabling them to earn some money by selling the eggs and/or extra chickens. Because the target women are very poor, we are not sure how the program will evolve. The way we look at it, even if they ALL monetize the chickens, it would amount to a charitable contribution of $10 per person to a very needy group. To the extent a few of them actually make something of it, we can try and determine what went right and replicate it.
The second program would provide two goats each to another group of 200 poor women - the contribution here being more like $40 per individual. The goal is the same - generate income through goat rearing. The results will need to be evaluated before doing it again.
The third program would set up a somewhat larger chicken farm (a la Savar) in one of the neighborhoods for indigenous people in North Bengal. Known as ‘Santals’ these aboriginal people are fast getting assimilated in the greater Bengali populace. But where they remain, as in reservations across America, poverty and unemployment reigns. We are not very clear on how we are going to get this project off the ground but if we can get it going, it could have significant impact just because the level of need is so great.
GK is going to provide one person and some infrastructural support to follow through as well as provide limited technical assistance and guidance as needed on the above project
The last GK program would be to fund ‘fellowships’ to train five individual women as village pharmacists who are able to set up shop and dispense basic medication. One of GK’s claims to fame is that it has proven that it takes minimal training to provide the bulk of the healthcare services needed by the poor. Accordingly, GK believes that approximately six months of training is all that is needed to enable smart and capable individuals to meet much of the basic ‘pharmaceutical’ demands of a village. A modest follow-up investment might be required to help these individuals set up shop once they graduate. This program is made possible by the generosity of Robert and Jennifer McNeil of Coatesville, PA and particularly apropos in light of the McNeil’s own background.
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