Phulwari- My Haven

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 As I mentioned in my previous blog, BHS is a not-for-profit organisation that provides primary health care services in rural areas of Udaipur and Salumber district. Other than the primary healthcare centre, they also have other community interventions, one being ‘Phulwari’. In Hindi, it means a bed of flowers/ garden, the most beautiful name for a daycare centre. Phulwaris are crèche services for children 6 months to 5 years old. There are over 12-20 children registered in each centre and are primarily located in areas without functioning Anganwadi. They are provided with three nutritious meals a day for their growth and development.They are taught alphabets, numbers, and nursery rhymes and engage in group activities and games for their cognitive development. The Phulwari workers monitor the children’s growth by weighing and measuring their height every month. If any child is sick or detected to have severe acute malnutrition (SAM), they are soon referred to Amrit Clinic, the primary health care centre. Moreover, Health camps are conducted once in every three months to evaluate the Phulwari children. Indeed the system of phulwaris, totally 12 in number in the Salumber district have played a major role in managing malnutrition, in the areas Manpur, Ghated and Bedawal.

During my three months at BHS, I really looked forward to visiting the phulwaris after three days in the clinic. It was my safe haven. Children are a group with whom I can easily connect and communicate with. Being around them was incredibly therapeutic and helped me unwind. 
Below, I will be sharing my experience of one such visit to the Kalya Phala Phulwari.
“I met seven cute kids huddled up, greeting us with their giggles. They were shy but curious about who these visitors were. I soon tried to befriend them by introducing myself, asking their names and trying to name the various fruits on a chart, but that wasn’t enough to break the ice. I felt guilty and bad that I had come empty-handed to meet these angels. Johan, my senior travel fellow, handed me a balloon and said it’s the best icebreaker with kids. We soon started playing but a few were still shy but soon warmed up to the game. The sheer joy a balloon can bring to a group of children. We did not see many toys, but they played wholeheartedly with the balloon without wanting more. We then made paper planes and enjoyed the day. Soon, it was time for lunch. 
What surprised me was their obedience. When the Phulwari worker asked them to wash their hands for lunch, they all dropped the balloon and paper plane and soon washed their hands properly for a minute with soap and water. Without much fuss, they all sat for the delicious khichdi and finished their serving in one go. They were shy for a second, but it was clear from their faces they wanted more, and I was happy and honoured to serve them. During lunchtime, three of the older kids persistently asked why I wasn’t eating with them and offered me food, which was a big lesson, as it is not enough to see if there’s enough food on my plate but also if the people around me have enough to eat. I am sure the kids would not have thought this deeply, but this is the thought their action invoked in me. 
After their lunch, they washed up, and it was time for a nursery rhyme about an elephant, which I believe the adults enjoyed more than the kids. As soon as the Phulwari worker spread the bed and told them it was sleeping time, all of them lay down for their afternoon nap. I waved them goodbye, leaving them and taking with me a whole lot of memories.”




“Tug of War ft. The Blanket”




The Salter Scale/ The Fun Way 😁

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