The day when we at Khushi Centre started working on environmental health we tried to assess and analysis the environmental health situation in India. If we look at India’s environmental health risks we find that she is gripped with hazards such as lack of safe water, inadequate sanitation and waste disposal, indoor air pollution and vector borne diseases; and modern hazards caused by development t
hat lacks environmental safeguards, such as urban air pollution and exposure to agro-industrial chemicals and waste besides increased unplanned urbanization and growth of slums. The alarming number of child deaths due to poor hygiene, lack of sanitation and inadequate or unsafe water together contribute to the largest number of diarrhea deaths. Similarly there has been an acceleration of diseases like obesity, sleeping disorders, depression, gastritis, Asthma, Autism, Breast Cancer, Cancer, Lung Disease, Lupus, Parkinson’s Disease, Reproductive health related disorders and diseases due to poor environmental health management its neglect. India has shaming figures of infant and maternal mortalities which is one of the highest in the world. Unplanned urbanization, population growth and rise in incomes of the middle class in Indian cities has resulted in such consumerist behaviors which are somewhere going against the nature and having adverse impact on the health and wellbeing of everyone. Time has come now to build awareness and sensitization among common men and women towards environmental health, do research and take collective actions to mitigate and prevent environmental health risks and hazards towards creation of a “Healthy Environment for All”. Khushi Centre thus, seeks to take up efforts in this direction with an attitude of now or never. Khushi Centre aims at taking comprehensive steps in the field of general health and environmental health through research, education, awareness and action taking by focusing on everyone affected by the environmental hazards with major emphasis on the most vulnerable in this regard including children, disabled, adolescents, women and poor. The year 2010-2011 brought certain constitutional amendments and fresh outlook in Khushi Centre’s work profile. These changes were put forward as considering it to be the need of the hour in the benefit of the organization so that the organization experiences growth and expansion in its services and outreach. The initiative taken in the previous year in the field of environmental health was taken a step forward with the celebration of the “World Environment Day” focusing on environmental health and working on awareness generation on the issue. Besides, we also formed a unit to focus and work specifically on the issue on environmental health. Various Multispeciality Health Camps for underserved and needy population; building networks with government, private and non-government agencies; disaster relief work at Leh Ladakh and Uttrakhand and the project of temporary shelter for homeless (Khushi Centre Raen Basera) in Delhi under the Delhi State and DUSIB’s winter campaign to protect the homeless from the chills of winter season were the other highlights of Khushi Centre’s interventions this year. With this the journey of Khushi Centre has so far been a good one but we have long way to go and need to work harder to make the results visible and the work reach out to the unreached people. On behalf of the entire family of Khushi Centre I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our Supporters, Donors, Partners and other stakeholders without whose support we couldn’t have come to this level.
