SARVAM, in association with the Indian Overseas Bank, has launched a "Health Care - Rural Development" program in 12 villages in the Vanur taluk of Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu. The initiative will run from February 2023 to January 2024.

A health awareness program was organized for 20 volunteers on 5th March 2023 at Sri Aurobindo Society Hall as a first activity to promote healthy living and to facilitate prevention and early detection and deliver concepts and basic requirements for a healthy environment, healthy living.

Two experienced expert health nursing officers conducted the awareness program on health and wellbeing. The session was about creating awareness of lifestyle diseases and mental stress. In addition to focusing on wellness strategies, the program also outlined some important causes that could reduce the stress level in the usual schedule of human activities.

In addition to chronic and non-chronic diseases, the trainers focused on creating awareness in the community. The good habit of practising yoga every day can help combat the ill effects in life.

They also focused on health issues related to depression and the chronic diseases that develop within the human body and how sudden emotional stress can result in serious cardiac problems.

The ultimate goals of the health awareness programme were: 

• To improve health at the individual and community level
• To inform and educate on specific health issues
• To raise awareness regarding the targeted health issues
• To create awareness of the available wellness resources
• To share adequate information on health
• To combat diseases like stress, mental disorders due to stress

It was discussed that door-to-door visits and person-to-person meetings and the imparting of information could increase the awareness of people in the project villages. The community needs to be convinced apart from professionals, even community volunteers can create awareness among the people.

The participants raised many doubts during the question-and-answer session, indicating that volunteers actively participated in the training. It was a great pleasure for the women volunteers to receive health awareness information. They said it would be their responsibility to spread the message among their village people.