Студенты Джорджтаунского университета в партнерстве с индийскими лидерами борются с железодефицитной анемией

A Georgetown University student-run initiative is partnering with community leaders in India to promote sustainable solutions to iron deficiency anemia, a severe blood condition. Georgetown’s chapter of Project RISHI — a U.S. student-run nonprofit working toward sustainable development in rural India — focuses on addressing health, social justice and sustainability in India’s northwestern Beawar district through partnerships with two local organizations. Its latest initiative tackles iron deficiency anemia, a widespread issue across India, by collaborating with Lucky Shakti Leaf (LSL), a reusable cooking tool that supplements iron needs. Aashvi Bist (CAS ’27), one of the Georgetown Project RISHI’s co-presidents, said the initiative works toward improving health while honoring existing food customs. “What’s really interesting about it is that because a lot of South Asian diets consistently are vegetarian, they don’t get enough iron in their food, so this leaf — you just cook it with vegetables and it disseminates iron,” Bist told The Hoya. Bist said the project’s internal data showed women’s iron levels increasing by around 90% in some communities, demonstrating its success. The Georgetown Project RISHI chapter also partnered with Gramin avam Samajik Vikas Sanstha (GSVS), a nonprofit focused on education and advocacy in India, to collect data on the project’s scope and impact. Alisa Patel (CAS ’28), the Georgetown Project RISHI’s co-director of initiatives, said that GSVS helped to collect and process data such as iron levels in participants’ blood, providing a quantitative measure of their work. “Because we had that partnership with GSVS, they were able to collect that data from us and then give us that information that we needed to use to apply for grants,” Patel told The Hoya. “I think having that kind of system will allow for future initiatives and to expand the scope of what we do in different regions.” Bist said Lucky Shakti Leaf’s accessibility was invaluable to maintaining long-term impact. “One thing we really admire about LSL is the sustainability of it,” Bist said. “It’s not a one-time money donation or a one-time project that isn’t reusable. If one woman is getting this leaf, she’s likely cooking for a family. And that family is also getting the benefits of that leaf.” Project RISHI is looking to expand its work into other health issues in the coming year. Anish Patel (CAS ’28), the Georgetown Project RISHI’s co-president, said they hope to apply similar principles to work addressing cervical cancer and HIV/AIDS. “Our current and future initiatives hope to improve transparency surrounding cervical cancer as well as partnering with new NGOs aiming to provide support for women and children who have been affected by HIV, AIDS and other public health crises, as well aiding in educational resources,” Anish Patel wrote to The Hoya. Project RISHI also aims to continue on-campus collaborations into the upcoming year. Diya Reddy (CAS ’28), the Georgetown Project RISHI vice president of public relations, said a previous partnership with the Hoya Harvest Garden that brought awareness to iron deficiency was incredibly effective. “We were able to get fresh produce and we cooked an iron-rich meal using okra, which is very dense in iron,” Reddy told the Hoya. “It was interesting to learn about that and how it affects people, and also to be able to sit down and eat a meal with people that are passionate about health and food justice.” Beyond continuing their existing work with partners on and off campus, Anish Patel said Georgetown’s Project RISHI chapter hopes to develop new advocacy partnerships with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) this year. “We hope to continue advocating for the underprivileged who are often ignored and cast aside,” Anish Patel wrote. “We hope that through our new NGO partnerships, we can create a dent in attacking concrete social and public health issues, including the stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS in rural India.”