Sir Ratan Tata Trust - Institutional Grants - Programme - Health

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Fellowship Programmes in Community and Public Health

The Society for Community Health Awareness, Research and Action (SOCHARA) is a professional resource group in community health and public health, rooted in the voluntary sector. It has spearheaded community health action, innovative training, networking, and policy action research in community health and public health, since its inception in January 1984. The Community Health Cell (CHC) is the functional unit of the registered Society. The objectives of CHC are to create an awareness regarding the principles and practice of community health; to promote and support community health action; to undertake research on community health and development; to dialogue with health planners, policy makers and implementers; and to establish a library, documentation and information centre in community health.

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Among the many involvements of CHC over the last two decades, a very satisfying one has been the ability to provide space, support, peer encouragement, vocational guidance, facilitation of self study and short term linkages – for professionals, both junior and senior, in community health. The linkages have been flexible and responsive to individual search, and supportive of paradigm shifts in personal careers. Many of these have included shifts from being institutional based and moving towards community action within an analytic and societal context.

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In 2003, a Community Health Fellowship Scheme was initiated which is being supported by the Trust. From 2003 onwards, over forty young professionals were oriented and trained in community health. Of these, only 20 were paid interns / fellows (three of them are currently doing their internship, taking the number to 23), while the remaining 17 were unpaid interns / fellows who spent different periods of time at CHC getting oriented to community health and public health. They continue to work on community health issues in various parts of the country.

Other key highlights of the Fellowship Scheme were:

Three Annual Community Health Workshops on different themes like ‘Community Health Workers and Community Health Insurance’ (2004), ‘CHC – An Alternative Learning Centre: From Idea to Reality’ (2005), and ‘Health as a Human Right in the Era of Globalisation’ (2006) were held.
One month orientation, mid term group learning sessions, community health field placements and debriefing held for every batch of interns / fellows.
Field placement in community health projects across the country according to learning needs of each individual intern.
Individual mentorship throughout the fellowship phase.
Participation in disaster relief and rehabilitation after the tsunami hit South Indian coast in December 2004.
Active involvement in the ‘Right to Health Care’ campaign of the Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA).
Participation in several national and international meets held in the country including the International Health Forum, Mumbai and 10th International Women and Health Meeting, Delhi.

An external evaluation of the Community Health Fellowship Scheme was undertaken at the end of the 3 year cycle by two external reviewers - Dr. M. K. Vasundhara from Bangalore and Dr. Narendra Gupta from PRAYAS, Chittorgarh, Rajasthan. A few of the main comments are presented here:

“The innovative learning process was valued by the candidates. The one month orientation period provided time and space for self-realization. The unique mentorship, informal environment, the flexibility to choose the field placements according to one's aptitude and ability strengthened their motivation to choose community health as their life option.”

“The success and the sustainability of the Community Health Fellowship Scheme are reflected in the end result. The fellowship has contributed 20 [paid] committed community health professionals, of whom 95% are currently working in projects conducting community health related activities.”