The Story of
Founding Trustee, Dr Sangeeta Sahi, wanted to experience first hand the lives of people living in communities that were completely different from hers.
Being a posthuman medical doctor, international teacher and global traveller provided her with the passport she required to discover organisations/institutions and communities and experience how their members live, work, play, communicate, care about and express themselves.
She has worked as a social volunteer with NGOs doing grass roots level work in India, Africa, and in the US in various fields and projects.
Some of these projects are listed below:
- Cultural/Community Regeneration: District Kutch, Gujarat, India, clusters of ancient villages populated by diverse groups of artisans. These artisans are from generations of tribal lineages, who migrated a long time ago from Pakistan, Afghanisatan, Israel etc. They have specialised artisanal skills which are tribe/group specific and have been handed down through generations.She made several trips to this area and to artisanal villages in Rajasthan for film making reconnaissance. Films to archive and create mainstream awareness of their arts and support their cultural and community regeneration.During the same trips, she also tested groups for nutritional deficiencies, particularly for anemia, vitamin/mineral and protein deficiencies due to dietary choices. There is poor rainfall, so the availability of fruits is limited. Their main food intake is from grains, pulses and vegetables. Daily water consumption is limited resulting in physical problems related to dehydration and poor hydration.We addressed health issues with vitamin/iron supplements and ayurvedic herbs. Both were effective and compliance was good.
- Medical volunteering for blood transfusion camp in village outside the city of Jaipur, capital of Rajasthan, India. Organised by local NGO, supported by the local municipality.
- Waste management pilot project in Delhi, India for Xaper Company.
- Volunteering with children with cancer in New Delhi, India-children with dancer groups organised by local NGOs – laughter yoga therapy sessions.
- Volunteering with VIMHANS- New Delhi, India, hospital specialising in treatment of patients with mental health issues. Again organised by local NGO, laughter yoga therapy sessions.
- Volunteering with Ayurvedic Physicians in Cannur, Kerala, India. Treatment of patients with a variety of chronic physical problems, e.g. arthritis, diabetes, hypertension, multiple sclerosis etc. with ayurvedic treatments including specialised massage, yoga and meditation.
- Volunteering with assessment of patients with drug and substance addictions in Amritsar, Punjab, and in a village outside Jammu, Kashmir, India. De-addiction treatments, including counseling and psychotherapy.
- Volunteering at Tihar jail, New Delhi, India. Asia’s largest, most recently built, and most secure prison. Rehabilitation of female prisoners, including health and hygiene education.
- Volunteering at Auroville Health Centre, Pondicherry, India. Cancer support therapies, including herbs, homeopathy and energy medicine for patients with cancer. Also teaching therapists in the Conscious Cancer® program.
Working in these different groups and projects gave Sangeeta direct access and insight into operations and administration structures, as well as the REAL needs of the communities based upon their lives, cultures and beliefs. She became aware of the gaps and challenges that these organisations were experiencing.
She had worked with many companies that had created new technologies which, when applied with the correct training and guidance, could help these NGOs to use their resources and time more efficiently, productively and help the communities they served.
Sangeeta realised that collaboration was necessary between these sectors, and yet there was no one doing that in a way that was creative, holistic and integrative.
So, Unified Human Foundation was born.