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>>Yamunabai
Ghodegaon Village
Yamunabai was married off to a much older
husband at a young age. Although she came from a relatively
wealthy family, she was not fed or clothed properly because of
her sex. Despite her situation, Yamunabai considers herself
lucky, “In my case, I was very fortunate.
I got a lot of support from my
husband, my mother-in-law, and other families who supported me.
I was a little bit better off financially.” Many others were
not.
Since becoming a VHW over 30 years ago,
Yamunabai has had an enduring impact on her community. She has
delivered over 800 babies, and has improved infant and maternal
health dramatically. Using her CRHP training and determination
to affect social change, she has helped her village overcome
harmful traditional practices and the stigma associated with
HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis.
“In my village, we had two truck
drivers who got AIDS. I used this as a teaching tool and kept
the wife and the children of those two men in my house. This
proved that, even though the wife and children were positive, it
didn’t spread.”
Yamunabai has seen her village transform over the years. “First,
we broke down the caste system by encouraging people to share
water sources and food. We tackled the village's gambling and
alcoholism problems by driving out local moonshiners. Families
had more money for basic necessities, allowing them to focus on
health education and the improvements in the general quality of
life.”
Yamunabai’s years of dedication and hard work as a VHW, under
the guidance and support of CRHP, has improved both health and
economic outcomes for her village. The village has gone on to
win a state award for breaking down the caste system. |
