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C-22
CHAPTER
13
Janaki and Saraivwati: ar;ory frc- India
Once upon a time, not iong ago, there .ias ayoung
Janaki,
health
wio lived
worler
in asmail
named
villa ;e called Mumabundo
making a
in
list
northerr;
of the.health
India.
problems
After
in her vllag., Janaki realized that or of the
biggest prcblems was that women did-noc eat wail
during pregnancy. They ate too little, and were
very thin and.ane.nmic. As a result, many babies /---.---
To sx;
were born small, thin, and weak. Many of them _ N/L.
died. Some of the mothers died too, from bleed;ng h.r moB
or infection following childbirth. 00
­
Janaki began tr:, call preqnant v.'omen rogether
on Tuesd2y afternoons to teach he./
them ab-C-Lt nutritionm Shp
explained the different fc )d groups
and the importance of getting
enough to .',at.$h . told the women
about vitamins and minerc.s, and
which foods contained
would
iro~l
keep
that
them from be:oming . ....
anemic. To make the meetings more
interesting, Janaki used fiash car:;
and a flannel-board, and aven had
the mothers bring different foods
from their gardens and the market.
/ .
But as vhe months went by, nos-ing changed. F".?nant women
come'to
continuEd
tile
to
Tuesday meetings. And They continird to eat ;xoorl,.
One night, one of the mothers who hart egular!/
meetings
atter.ed
.,, hrth.
the Tuesday
Shrj'-"- m,4,,nczr- -nd nire
and
anemic
from
duri:ig pregnancy;
11e loss .6tblood following childbirth, 5h;i, died. Her baby died, tuo.
Janaki fltpICprtly to blame. She docided to go talk
wcrnan
to Saraswati,
whorfi ever-one
awise old
went to for advice. Saraswati also practiced ayervedic
medicine-the tracitional form of healing.
Janaki explained her problem to the old woman.
Saraswati put her wrinkled hand on Janaki's shoulder. "I think your problem
isthis," she said. "You started with what you were taught in
Instead
your health
of with
Iraining,
whamt the women in the villaye already know. You roust learn to
seq things through their eyes."
"How do you mean?" asked Janaki.
*Manv of the ideas in thvisnry hi ,e boon taktn from "rjtcaton ;p; AppropwI.ato Ana; .,i,"a p.er bY
Mark and M:ml Nichtpt. '952 Pei k Stroet, ;.roiuiu, Ihf,-aiit. U.nor by
BestA7 -1, ,
13-1