Conducted on July 29th, 2024, in a non-profit school in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India
My 4th major project was conducted on July 29th, 2024, as a blood work camp for students in grades through 12. This took place in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India at MV Koteswara Rao Memorial Public School, a non-profit school for underprivileged students. I decided that this would be an appropriate place . With the help of medical professionals, we were able to draw blood for over 250 children and deliver lab reports to the children in less than 5 days to identify any blood disorders or underlying medical issues. Many of these children never had a chance to get proper analysis of their blood, if any analysis at all, prior to this event, so not only were we able to collect data to support theories on healthcare in children but we also were able to give parents a chance to access these reports free of any costs and out-of-pocket spending that is tied to drawing blood in India. Before completing the bloodwork, as a small daily lesson, I was able to teach the students about the different components of the blood, how they help the body, and how blood analysis is completed through the process of blood testing. This not only ensured the students that this was a completely safe and normal process but also that it is something that is necessary to ensure good health. Many children despite this lesson were still worried but by speaking to the children about my own experiences with this procedure, showing them pictures from my previous blood work camp, and even holding some students on my own lap while speaking to them to distract them from the needle, we were able to minimize fear and nervousness in the students. Additionally, I was able to answer questions about how I started my nonprofit and other health questions from the students. Using this collected data combined with the previous camp’s data, I will be able to search for and hopefully identify common patterns of deficiencies or disorders in underprivileged areas of India to advocate for better health support and treatment for students in order to identify health barriers to education.
