pathway

welcome to the start of what i am sure will be a tremendous learning journey for all of us individually and collectively as we share our own experiences and learn from the wonderful people of south east india and each other.

i was first to arrive on saturday and slowly (and in Victorias case very slowly) most arrived by very early monday am, Abel using all his powers of persuasion to get a via to travel. we are now only short of Bipin who has already developed as the “mysteryman” within the group and i may open a book on where or when he will appear.

to visit the pathways website click here

We are sorry that Thalbir can not be with us and are thinking of her and her family and of course Ben is off doing bigger and better things. I half expect to bump into him on a street-stall somehere, in the wee small hours.

Myself and Lance (the token public sector workers) and Lucy offered to write the first offical blog as we were visiting both child and mental health services across Chennai. lucy having a particular interest in disabilty. Lance and I visited Pathway a truly inspiring ad wonderful facility in a slum (to quote the founder) area of chennai.

Mr Prasad the manager had the idea as a very young but clearly entreprenuerial 21 yer old back in 1975 to set up a service for mentally retarded people. the success story began in 1975and has grown considerably since, with over 100 children receiving full care at the live in facility and another 300 children seen daily for rehab and educational programmes. 22,000 kids since 1975.

We want many of the staff who showed great pride and passion about their work and the many children we met almost to an individual had huge smiles when we met them. without this faciilty which is mainly funded through worldwide indivudual supporters as the government funding is minium these children mostly orphans will receive no care and yet many of them have gone on to lead “normal” “lives and contribute fully to indian society”. the leadership skills of the manger and his team were clear to see, he was a man who wouldn't take no for an answer as several of us in the small group that visited have already started to think about how we can work with pathway (it is 7am tuesday and Abel is already on his laptop thinking of how he can get some equipment over).

from my own perspective it challenged many of my “western” thoughts for the whole public health/ funding difference to the use of language as everyone seemed comfortable with what i geuss we would find offensive now. eg not normal, retarded etc. what matters of course is the quality of the treatment and care and the people who deliver, and in pathway was exceptional.