Adopted Projects – Area

Adopting Dadashamakan

When the Club first visited Dadashamakan (part of the Puliyanthope area in Chennai District) in 2004, it was a picture of neglect and indifference. It was congested and highly populated with poverty-stricken inhabitants; and the living conditions were deplorable. It was no surprise when we realised that sanitation was poor, and therefore there was rampant lack of hygiene; the threat of an outbreak of the disease was imminent; add to that the unavailability of affordable health care – it was a dangerous combination.

Change of plans

Initially, the Club’s aim was to make the area a ‘cataract free zone’ by holding eye camps; however, moved by the condition of the people in Dadashamakan, regular health camps were organised to give the residents access to healthcare services like general health, ophthalmology, gynaecology, diabetics management, diagnostic services and alternative medicines – services that they could not otherwise access or even afford.

Success at Dadashamkan

The Dadashamkan Project – which started off as a labour of love to provide basic healthcare to the underprivileged – has completely transformed the health landscape of the area. The Club has been providing medical aid to more than 10,000 patients since 2004. Not only do patients receive excellent healthcare, they are also given free medication. Volunteers track patients to ensure that treatment is being complied to; in fact, many of the patients are offered free transportation as well as nutritious food.
It took five years of persistent effort from our volunteers and determined health care professionals, but, today, the Club is proud to state that Dadashamkan has been declared a ‘cataract free zone’! None of the eye camps that are regularly organised witness any complaints of cataracts.

​A beautiful transformation

What was once a neglected area inhabited by poor people in dismal living conditions has now – with the dedicated efforts of the Club’s members – become a ‘model area’ that is being modelled as a template for future ‘area adoption’ projects.