ORGANIZATION RECORD
Location: Tamil Nadu, India
Website: http://meerafoundation.webs.com/
Mission: To improve people’s level of knowledge for sustainable health
Year Founded: 2000
Preferred method of contact: Email, Skype, phone calls to Raja’s mobile
Project Information:
- Availability for Summer 2017: MEERA is currently in partnership with Rice University but has capacity to host another group as well – but is looking for project budget of no less than $5,000
- Potential Future Projects:
- Initiatives that provide children with a quality education
- Working on health programs for tribal communities
- Nutrition and tuberculosis initiatives for rural children under 14
- Ideal Group Size: 3 or 4 Interns
- Accommodations: MEERA has a guesthouse near their office, with a cook for students
- Skills:
- Healthcare or medical background a bonus but not necessary
- MEERA local volunteers/interns serve as interpreters so no language skills necessary
- Reported program costs to interns:
- Program in-country costs (reported by partner): $700 per student for accommodation, transport, food, misc.
- Average Total costs (reported by interns – includes airfare, accommodations, visas, vaccinations, spending money, etc.): $1,800
- Range of reported intern total costs: $1,600-$2,000
Partnership History:
- Summer 2016
- Chapter: Rice University, Barry University, and Durham Academy
- Project: Participated in community-level awareness creation among general public on tuberculosis control (village small group meetings, media campaigns, house-to-house survey among general public), met doctors and lab technicians at health centers and collected medical records like patient’s treatment charts, consolidated medical records at MEERA Office.
- Investment: $3,500
- Project team: 3 interns
- Project Blog
- Summer 2014 and 2015
- Chapter(s): Wellesley and Wake Forest University (WFU – 2014 only)
- Project: The investment funded participation on nutrition seminar for mothers and children, seeds and plant distribution to the families, land preparation for gardening (digging, fencing, etc) and planting. Micro loans were set up for families in the area.
- Investment: $3,000 (2015) and $4,000 (2014)
- Project team: 0 interns
