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MAHAN (an acronym for -Meditation, AIDS, Health, Addiction, Nutrition) is a non-government organization established in 1998 to improve health care in Melghat region.
MAHAN was touched by Gandhian teaching that “youths should go to the villages to serve as real India is in villages”.
Melghat is the hilly forest area in the beautiful Satpuda mountain ranges. Population is 280,000 & 75% of them are tribal. Korku is the major tribe of Melghat. Most of the tribal (>90 %) are farmers or labourers, living below poverty line (>75%) & very hard life in kaccha houses without electricity (>90%) & illiterate (>50%). Medical facilities are worst in Melghat as compared to rest of Maharashtra.
Due to lack of proper medical facilities & superstitions, tribal goes to traditional faith healers/quacks (pujari & bhumkas) for treatment of illness. Skin is burnt with red hot iron rod for reducing pain known as Damma. These leads to very high under 5 children mortality (>100 per 1000 live births) especially Malnutrition related deaths and very high mortality in age group (16-60years) & maternal mortality. Moved by such things, we started the project in Melghat in November 1997.
To provide curative and preventive medical facilities to poor tribals of Melghat so as to develop healthy people.
PROGRAMS OF MAHAN TRUST ACCEPTED AS STATE LEVEL POLICIES:
1. Village feeding centres for severely malnourished babies.
2. Counsellor program for govt. hospitals in rural and tribal areas.
3. Acceptance of real status of severe malnutrition in all tribal blocks of Maharashtra by RJMCHN Mission . Govt. policies were changed.
Awards
i. “Best Tribal Research Project Award & Young Scientist Award” by ICMR
ii. Felicitation by Jagtik Marathi Academy and Shivaji University, Kolhapur.
iii. Americares Foundation’s ‘Spirit of Humanity National Award 2011 ’
iv. National Child Health Award by Lifebuoy.
v. Karmveer Social Citizen Global Award.
vi. Felicitation by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, ex-President, India
vii.Americares Foundation’s ‘Spirit of Humanity National Award 2015’
viii. Oberoi melting pot award by Consulate General of 26 Countries and Rotary International.
Self-Sustainable Healthy Human Being. MAHAN wanted to become the best health institution for tribal area of India with an aim to uplift the health facet of tribal of Melghat & India.
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