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21 November2001 by Pamela Davie in Bhuj The squad of thirty newly trained first aid volunteers were divided between five booths emblazoned with the Red Cross. Four of them lined the pilgrims' route as they made their way to the temple. A fifth was located at the final destination, Lakhpat, where the Mata Na Madha temple is situated. The annual pilgrimage is made during Navrati, a nine day dance festival dedicated to the Mother Goddess. Ashapura is one of the many manifestations of the Mother Goddess and for those who journey to her temple each year, the Goddess of Hope is supposed to bestow good fortune. Completing the pilgrimage this year in search of prosperity was particularly poignant. The devastation caused by this January's earthquake in Gujarat, was particularly great in Kutch and many people are having to start all over again. But pilgrimages don't come without pain. The thirty Indian Red Cross volunteers mainly tended to the most common complaint - foot injuries. They also gave out oral rehydration salts to those suffering dehydration and provided a place to rest for people with fever and aching bodies. Among the volunteers was 20-year old Mamta Thacker. After having completed a Red Cross field workers programme, she is now working to build up a base of volunteers trained in first aid and basic hygiene and sanitation awareness in ten villages. Wrapping a white bandage around the foot of an elderly man, sitting exhausted in a chair before her, she notes: "I feel good working as a trainer in first aid and also volunteering during my personal time because I now have the skills to help people care for themselves." Strolling past the booths in the carnival-like atmosphere, many passers-by stopped to inquire about the displays. The volunteers gave out information on malaria control and demonstrated how to make oral rehydration salts at home with sugar, salt and water. Originally, Salome Zan, the volunteer training coordinator, had planned one first aid booth based in Lakhpat, but "the volunteers were so enthusiastic about the idea that they organised four other sites along the way," she says. Sixty-nine volunteers completed the Indian Red Cross field workers programme in September. It aims to build a volunteer network across the Kutch, Rajkot and Jamnagar districts in Gujarat to intervene in case of disaster and develop community based first aid and water sanitation activities. Upon successful completion of the course, each field worker is responsible for fifteen to twenty villages where they recruit and train volunteers to deliver first aid and health awareness activities in their own community. "The Red Cross provided so much during the relief operation to people all over Kutch; now people recognise and trust the Red Cross," says Dr. Javaya, a government medical officer from Rajkot who visited the first aid booth in Lakhpat. |
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