Dignity Freedom Network

India is facing a severe health crisis because of a health infrastructure that is nowhere near adequate for the magnitude of population and medical needs its people are facing.  Add to that the massive COVID-19 pandemic and we as a nation are headed for destruction.  As a trained medical professional with a heart and passion for the poor, marginalized and outcaste people of India who have the least access to quality, affordable healthcare, I have the strong desire to create pathways by which people from all walks of life can get the healthcare they need at the very moment they need it. I believe the Elevate Prize will give me the resources I need to take the Dignity Freedom Network's Good Shepherd Health Network to new heights as we focus on a robust virtual health network that extends to the far reaches of India today and into the future.

During my residency at medical school, I spent time in a mission hospital that served the needs of poor women, especially those who were in the centuries-old, spiritually sanctioned Devadasi (temple prostitute) practice.  The poverty that drove these women into this practice broke my heart and I vowed to do something meaningful to bring healthcare to these women, as well as tackle the systemic problems that forced these women into a life of slavery.  Therefore, from a relatively young age, I dedicated myself and my medical practice to helping those who have no other option in life.  Although I have a great passion for the individual, I want to create networks and systems that bring life to hundreds of thousands.  To whole villages.  To whole people groups.  I want to create lasting, sustainable change that will make a permanent difference.

India is the land of billions, of people tucked into every corner of every street, of lives as colorful and complicated as the the land itself. Dignity Freedom Network works to remember the forgotten faces. We think every life is worth restoring, and every person worth a fair start.

The heart of what we do is sponsoring children to attend our Good Shepherd Schools because we believe education changes everything.

Through the schools, we also offer healthcare and economic empowerment initiatives for families, especially women. We support women’s centers for those who have been exploited, and a girls’ shelter for those most vulnerable to human trafficking.

Our work is primarily in India. Due to their low position in society, marginalized people are often used without consequence. They are raped, held captive in brothels and temple ceremonies, and forced to work as bonded laborers. They are usually without education, without economic opportunities, without healthcare, without hope for their future.

We work in large cities and in rural villages, with young children and new moms. With broken women and fractured families.

But we work with great hope and fierce intentionality.

Specifically, and propelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, our healthcare initiative is innovating to meet the great needs India is facing.  Prior to the pandemic, we had 3 health centers meeting the needs of as many people as possible.  However, we realized that the people in the urban slums and rural villages were in the greatest need of quality, affordable, urgent healthcare.  As a result, we quickly expanded our reach to 20 Virtual Telehealth medical centers and were able to therefore expand our reach to hundreds of thousands of the most needy people.  This was a first of its kind initiative into the poorest of the poor areas around India.  Yes, Telehealth was available for the rich, but this was a unique program for the poor.  We want to scale this up to 100 centers in 2021-2022 as the pandemic reaches new heights and devastates our country.

We are changing lives all across India. 

With specific regard to healthcare, our Community Health Workers are the first line of defense in educating people on health and hygiene issues where there was no education previously.  People who are better educated remain healthier and live longer, more productive lives.

Our Health Workers also triage illnesses and either treat basic diseases themselves or refer to clinics or hospitals where people can receive medical care before their ailments turn fatal. 

Our Health Workers also show love and compassion to people in the darkest moments of their lives and make each person they visit feel valued.  We affirm their dignity which has been historically denied them.

Our Telehealth centers have been a breakthrough for people who thought they would die from COVID.  They can see doctors who not only treat their illnesses, but give them hope.  We bring medical care to the least of society and change their lives forever.

Our transformation-based approach to everything we do is based on sustainable principles that has the long-term in mind and seeks the betterment of every man, woman and child.  We long to see oppression dismantled and equality sewn into the hearts of everyone.