AID Los Angeles organized a talk by Dr. Anant Phadke, who since 1972 has been involved with the People’s Science Movement and Swasthya SATHI (Support for Advocacy and Training to Health Initiatives) cell. The cell fosters a broad-based health movement by offering training to community health initiatives. Over 100 Swasthya Sathis work in Dahanu and Aajra, Maharahstra and Badwani and Sendhwa, Madhya Pradesh today. These women study the role of the health worker, causes of illnesses, types of organisms, basics of human anatomy, medicines, nutrition, malnutrition and common illnesses.

SATHI has developed pictorial training material using standard symbols addressing a set of easily memorizable questions for diagnosis.

AID supported SATHI in Dahanu. Amarjeet Singh, a student in Los Angeles, met Dr. Anant Phadke along with AID volunteers.