MIT/Rai Foundation Delhi Community Health Collaboration
Delhi, India
8 to 10 weeks, beginning June 2007

Overview
The Community Health Collaboration is a new project that brings together students from MIT and Rai Foundation, Delhi, to collaborate on health-related projects with a number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The students will live on the Rai Foundation Delhi campus and work with organizations in the city.

Project Descriptions
We are advertising opportunities for Fellows to work with three different health-related organizations. Depending on the skills and interests of the selected applicants, we may have a single team working with just one of these organizations, or we may have a different sub-team or individual work with each organization.

Potential Fellows should focus their application materials on one of the projects outlined below, but should also mention any skills or experience that might help them contribute to the other projects if applicable.

  1. NGO: Deepalaya (http://www.deepalaya.org)
    Objective: to establish effective and sustainable mechanisms to improve access to health services and ultimately build healthy communities. This project will focus on promotive, preventive, and rehabilitative health programs in the fields of child health, HIV/AIDS, environmental health, and population.

    Basic methodology: conduct SWOT analysis and other research of on-going community health projects. Document relevant community activities. Create plans to increase access to the programs based on this research.

    Team size for this project: one to six students.

  2. NGO: UDAAN (www.udaan.org)
    Objective: to develop an analytical-cum-statistical software to assess brain and nerve functions in children with various brain related disorders. This software would enable health workers to assess the progress of children suffering from disorders such as cerebral palsy, autism, hydrocephalus, microcephaly, post-traumatic or post-encephalitic brain/neurological dysfunction.

    Basic methodology: a number of scales are currently used to measure various brain and nerve functions in children with brain related disorders. However, they are mostly subjective and do not usually have an associated mathematical model with which to assess statistically significant progress over time. One of the scales: Gross Motor Function Measurement, has been developed into an internationally acclaimed software that the Fellows can have access to as a model. Other scales (such as REEL, CARS, CHAT, MCHAT, FAB, BASIC-MR, Ashworth, etc) currently lack such usability, and UDAAN would like Fellows to develop the appropriate software.

    A start has been made on this task for two of the scales using FOXPRO, However, new therapists generally do not know hot to operate FOXPRO or write FOXPRO code. The new softward, therefore, should be use commonly available and understood applications such as MS ACCESS or MS EXCEL.

    Special qualifications: Knowledge of FOXPRO Coding, efficiency in Microsoft EXCEL and ACCESS (DBF and FOXPRO) is required.

    Team size for this project: two to three students.

  3. NGO: HCRA (Handicapped children Rehabilitation Association)
    Objective: The neighborhoods of Govindpuri kalkaji and Madanpur khaddar have numerous slums which are lacking medical facilities. The team of Fellows will help HCRA to provide sustainable community-based rehabilitation to disabled children in these areas.

    Methodology : Conduct a pilot study of rehabilitation facilities in the community. Tasks would include data collection and analysis, long-range planning, and implementation and testing of new ideas.

    Team size for this project: one to three students.

General Qualifications, Requirements, Preferences
  1. Strong motivation to work in underdeveloped environments for the benefit of the local community
  2. Strong communication and people skills. Ability to quickly adapt to new and even difficult environments and get lots of work done.
  3. Ability to work effectively as part of a team, but also to work alone when necessary.
  4. Willingness to take initiative.
  5. Language skills: English. Knowledge of Hindi helpful but not a requirement

If you wish to contact any of the community agencies with questions before submitting your application, please contact Sugandha Srivastava at the Rai Foundation, who will pass your questions on to the project supervisors in the various organizations: sugandha.srivastava@raifoundation.org.

Team Composition
Two to four MIT students will be selected for the Fellowship, and will work with two to four students from Rai Foundation.

Dr. Miraj (HOD College of Healthcare and Philanthropy, Rai Foundation) will supervise the team in Delhi. Each project team will also be supervised by the program manager in the relevant NGO.

The Fellowships staff will select the MIT team from the individuals who apply and will coordinate with staff at Rai Foundation to build the complete team.

Living Conditions
The Fellows will stay at the Meadow's Residency on the Rai Foundation Delhi campus.

Recreation
The Rai Foundation can organize small excursions, tours, trips, etc in and around Delhi to help you explore the region and culture. There are also cafes, restaurants, movie theatres, etc close to the Meadow's Residency.

Please note that the Fellows will be responsible for funding such excursions and entertainment themselves (the PSC does not provide Fellowship funds for recreation).

Travel Arrangements
The Fellowship will last about 8 weeks, beginning in early June. The exact dates will be determined once the team has been formed. The Fellowships staff will purchase airplane tickets for the MIT students. We prefer that all Fellows travel to Delhi together.

Health, Medical, and Legal Concerns
Participants will cover any cost related to their medical preparation, which should include current tetanus shots, and prophylactic tablets that may not be required, but are good to have in case of an emergency. You will also need to provide your own health insurance and any additional travel insurance that you wish to have.

MIT Fellows will have to sign a formal Fellowship agreement, MIT's travel form, and a waiver form. Fellows under 18 also need to have a parent of legal guardian sign their forms.