TB survey, W85, Zakhira

During my last week at Zakhira we finished up the 200 Tuberculosis Surveys. We have not yet analyzed the data but fortunately only found a handful of likely cases. I really bonded with the Asha staff members and slum residents who work for Asha. At one moment while I was observing the doctor, the Community Health Worker took my hand and held it in her own. We could not communicate verbally, but that gesture was really touching. Also while I was observing women would just hand me their toddlers. I particularly have fun with one baby, Nas, who I have several pictures of here. She just turned one and had a small birthday party at the Asha center where we gave her chocolates and some new clothes. One of my students, Shabnam, pictured in the previous slideshow several times, came in one morning and asked if I had my ears pierced. That afternoon she came and fitted bright turquoise earrings into my ear. I tried to return them at the end of the day and the next morning, but she refused to take them back, they were a gift. I wear them everyday as I did not bring much jewelry with me, but the girls scold me if they don't match my outfit. I'm going to buy her some pink earrings because that's her favorite color. It continues to amaze me how kind and inclusive and sweet the girls are. They took awhile to warm up but just the other day they were feeding me some of their lunches. Literally Putting food in my mouth. It was very close, like we were sisters. Except then Sifat put something incredibly spicey in my mouth and my lips were burning for five minutes, so Anjum and Saba gave me crackers and roti to calm the burning. They thought it was hilarious how I reacted to the spice.
I really enjoyed my time at Zakhira and miss the staff and students!

We completed the survey in the slum part W85 in Zakhira. Here live 400 families and at W88 live 800 families. There are many young children for several reasons. One is that in a Muslim community, having more children means that you have been blessed more and a large family is encouraged. Two because the mortality rate is so high for children under five so to ensure some survivors the women have many children just in case. We met one woman who had had eleven children and six had passed away. The third reason is
that contraception is not widely used. Partially due to a lack of education, partially due to religion. One woman came in with her fifth child and explained that she had wanted a tubal ligation, but that her religion would not allow it. In many cases it is the mother-in-law and husband who make decisions regarding a womans body.Asha is working to combat all of these factors so that the poor families can share their resources adequately among the ideal of two children.
It is interesting to note that the majority of families here are from a village and came to Delhi only to find work. Many slums are located near railroads because it provides labor for the men. Therefore also, many of the women are unfamiliar with the area in which they live, and until Asha came, with their neighbors.