Uttarakhand Community Health Cluster

The Uttarakhand Community Health Cluster is a cluster of over 47 charitable community health programs.This community of learning facilitates members to come together and cooperate for mutual benefit and program sharing. The activities include training meetings, regular sharing of ideas and resources, joint advocacy around tobacco and disability, and fellowship.

Mission

We are faith based organisations who come together to transform the lives of the poor and marginalised in Uttarakhand by increasing the effectiveness of community health and development program

Vision

Coming together to make a difference

Objectives

Represent and advocate for cluster members

Strengthen cluster members through creating a peer-to-peer learning environment, facilitating training and research

Develop and share trainings and resources

Confront India's leading health problems, such as: tobacco, injuries, disablity, HIV and AIDS encouraging fellowship

Facilitate linking and contributing to the national and state health programs

Principles

Unity | Sharing | Respect for other organisations & individuals | Transparency | Quality in our work | Prayer | Dependence on God

Achievements

Mazars trust - successful application to develop training activities for CHGN-UKC

Workshops facilitated on tobacco, SALT education, disability and reseources sharing

Tear Australia - funding to support the initial meeting

Offered places with International People's Health Uni and the People's Uni

Australia India Council grant-fund for research on the CHGN-UKC cluster model

NHMRC grant and Endeavour Fellowship for facilitator to study CHGN-UKC model

Nossal Institue for Global Health Uni Melbourne, Technical Input - Disability Programs

Disability awareness resource

TME-provided a DVD player and public health training materials free of charge

Lord Swinfen Trust - telemedicine services offered to cluster members

Word TB day 2010: Partnered with the government and other NGOs to raise awareness

Cluster newsletter published

Local prayer coordinator and team appointed

Several anti-tobacco initiatives

HISTORY : Where did the CHGN-UKC come from

The cluster owes its current unity to a common Christian Heritage. Each program is faith based and recognises the role that God has played in bringing them into existence and sustaining them.

A number of faithful servants assisted in the development of these programs. Dr Ted Lankester, Dr Peter Deutschmann two such people who served in Uttarakhand for a number of years and were integral in the development of many of the current community health programs.

Since then each of the Cluster NGOs have built on the firm foundation of the Kingdom and developed diverse and effective community health program activities.

Next - Growing and Reaching Further

Undertake high level research

Apply for block funding

Network locally, regionally and internationally

Undertake twice yearly training and review meetings

Outreach beyond existing program areas to under-served areas

Develop a training module for community health workers

Advocate on different public health issues, such as smoking and disability