"The jobs always go to the city people: they have all the
advantages.
They
can't
make
the changes we need because
they don't know the needs of the village people." Intern on why he took such a difficult job with our organization
Cynthia Hunt
Magic means different things to different people. For Cynthia Hunt, the founder of HEALTH Inc, it's all about good health and nutrition. As a passionate artist, book publisher and educator, she helps communities form women's co-operatives to pool their efforts in order to bring about much needed change.
She grew up on a commercial farm in Minnesota which she helped to manage while still in her teens. Her physician father headed a research team at the Mayo clinic that advanced the theory of improved nutrition leading to improved health. Her Masters thesis from the University of British Columbia examined appropriate technologies using solar sources for heating and cooking in Ladakh.
Hunt routinely hikes for days at a time through the rugged mountains of northwest India where government agencies and NGOs rarely go. She fondly refers to this as her "commute to work".
Phuntsog Stanzin
Stanzin is from a nomad family, with 7 brothers and sisters. He went to government schools in his remote semi-nomadic community. Absent teachers, beatings and rote-memorizing for exams was the norm. He dreamt of having an opportunity for a good education and becoming a teacher.
Stanzin took on HEALTH Inc internship for 3 years, traveling to the remotest villages and helping people to believe in themselves. He gained skills as a teacher, a leader, a group worker and in educational materials production. He now works as a teacher – in a village near his home – helping other remote village children achieve as much as he has.
Sonam Norboo
Norboo is from the remote northern zone of Ladakh - over the highest motorable road in the world, and then a long walk to his village. Norboo dreamt of medicine but family responsibilities cut his education short. Working as a HEALTH Inc intern, he completed his pharmacist training and has since gone on to study public health and physiotherapy. Norboo traveled (on foot) all over the district, helping villagers gain control over their health. He now works for the Department of Health.
Gullam Hussein
Hussein is from a village that passed between Indian and Pakistani control. He grew up knowing bombings on a regular basis and with little sense of security. Determined to get an education, he joined (SECMOL) youth groups. Passionate about education, he now divides his time between running HEALTH Inc's education programs for remote villages and working in pre -primary open schools in Denmark (where he moved while his wife finishes her education). Having spent over ten years tramping to every village in Ladakh, he has inspired dozens of villages to reinvigorate their schools and thousands of children to stay in school.
Thinles Dorje
Also from a remote village, he is one of the few young people to enter the sciences stream at university and hopes to work in biochemistry or teaching. Thinles helps us with our disabled children's program.
Nawang Tsering
Now serves his home nomad community as a health worker after one year in our intern program. Without him, his villagers would have no access to health care.
Tsewang Yamphel
He is from a remote village in Zanskar. His mother walked him 5 days on the frozen Zanskar river to get him into a school as a child. He now studies in Delhi and will return to his village to help others achieve their educational goals.
Phuntsog Dolma
Puntsog loves books, games and learning materials. She studies with our book production team so that she can help Ladakhis become self-sufficient in producing educational materials in their own language.
The village women of Kurimbik
These women felt that government services would never help their remote village. Additionally, there was a serious rift in the village and cooperative work had proved impossible in the last 14 years. They asked HEALTH Inc to come to the village and help them form a cooperative. After a 3-day workshop, all the women agreed to set aside differences and work together for their joint health, agricultural and educational needs. 14 months later they are still united and a fearsome force in achieving their goals. They have constructed several greenhouses, improved their herd production, built a solar-heated school and learnt new farming skills. More, the men are now united and the government eager to support a village that is the living testament to self-help development.
The teachers of Domkhar
A group of remote villages with no school buildings, the teachers decided that they wanted to gain more skills. With the help of Tsering Angchuk from the Education Department, they motivated all the Village Education Committees and organized a series of workshops. They now have some of the best examples of activity-based learning methods in their schools. More importantly, the villagers are more knowledgeable about education potential in their villages and eager to support change.
