When I decided to take Jeevani to Alagramam, it seemed like a very daunting task. Alagramam is a fairly big village, and how was I going to select the most needy of the children living there?

I decided to start with asking a few people about the economic status of the villagers. As word got around that we are thinking of implementing something that would improve nutrition amongst children, I got a call from the The Government Elementary School Headmaster, Mr. Ramamurthy who was very open to the idea and welcomed me into the school. He told me that most parents of the children who go there are daily wage labourers who work double shifts – from early morning till late night. He said anyone who can afford a little money send their children to one of five private schools in and around the village. So the Government school seemed like a good to place to start.

We first visited the Elementary School (ages 5 to 11). Most of the 118 children who study there, grow up without basic nutrition, who do not get a glass of milk daily, and who rely on the noon meal scheme for their mid day meal and egg everyday.

We decided right away that we will start with these 118 children. We met each and every one of them, and filled out our questionnaire about height, weight, along with symptoms of anaemia and malnourishment. We also found that most children drink only tea! We got the plan together, and one parent volunteered to boil the milk and mix the Ashwagandhadi and distribute it along with Dhatri Loha, an Ayurvedic Iron Supplement, daily.

My family who lives there was a great support, and immediately offered all the logistical help to run it smoothly. Once the logistics were in place, it was a matter of getting the funding and the medicines together! And how quickly that happened! No sooner than I messaged my family, we immediately got the money required to run it for more than a year! Thank you to all who responded so quickly!!

In 2014, in a small way, Sanjeevani Ayurveda Foundation started to give milk, fortified with Ashwagandhadi Churnam and Loha Bhasmam to a small group of 30 children in a Dalitwada called Palaguttapalle in Andhra Pradesh. The amazing way in which the children benefitted was a great source of affirmation. Watching the results, nearby hamlets and their schools have reached out, asking to adopt the programme in their villages/schools. It is currently running in 9 villages around Palaguttapalle. All of these groups of children have responded with outstanding results, within a few weeks.

For about Rs. 10/- per child, per day, children stop complaining of common symptoms such as leg pain, dizziness, headaches and breathlessness. They begin to show no signs of anaemia, show improved growth and immunity, and very significantly, they stop falling sick. Parents, (who could ill-afford it), who were spending Rs 300 – 400 per month on hospitals, reported that their children keep good health.

Like rain on parched earth, “Jeevani” as the milk scheme came to be known, helped these children blossom and grow!

Groups, institutions and individuals have come forward and enabled this project in many places across the State and country, including in corporation schools, slum areas, Sarvodaya Hostels etc.

One of the biggest projects is running not far from Alagramam, in a Sarvodaya Hostel in Tirukoilur, Villipuram District for 250 children.

Having watched this organically grow over the last 6 years, and been part of it in small ways, I have been wanting to implement this in Alagramam. The idea took a long time to articulate, and then 7 months to take fruit. But it is finally here!

With the support of our donors it took very little time between commitment and implementation. Here’s a big “Thank YOU!” to all of them!

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