Dr. Leila Masson, a Lahori by birth, established the Village Dispensary in Thatta Ghulamka Dhiroka (Okara) back in 1992 as a part of her House Job after completing her medical education in Berlin, Germany. Now she is a leading pediatrician and lactation consultant specialized in nutritional treatment for children's problems with health, behaviour and development. Currently she is based in Sydney, Australia. Thank you Dr. Leila Masson (Siller).
Read more »Labels: Dr Leila Masson, TGD
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 4:36 PM,
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From the archive
The health movement initiated by Dr Leila* was continued by Dr Senta Siller from 1993 under the title One Baby-One Tree.
The women of the village who were involved in the handicraft project received a tree to care for at an event at the beginning of the school year with the handover of teaching materials for each child born and registered in the BHU. They became indicators of women's activities.
The village NGO's water project financed a deep well that made the tested water available to the villagers.
Labels: AFA (NGO), DGFK e V Berlin, Dr Leila Masson, Dr Senta Siller, TGD
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 9:12 AM,
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From the archive of AFA and DGFK
In 1991 the film Amjads Village (see Archive www.dgfk-archive.de ) was made by the DGFK e.V. and premiered in the Babylon Film Theater in Berlin.
A young doctor, Dr Leila, was inspired to provide basic medical care in the village between 1991 and 1993.
Between 40 and 50 patients came to her every day!
Even after her departure (she lived in the USA, New Zealand, now Australia) she financially supported the emerging BHU (Basic Health Unit), now with its own building.
She was followed by Dr Elizabeth from Melbourne (she received an Australian Order of Merit),
Dr Karola (she received a German Order of Merit), -
Three village girls traveled to Dr Ruth Pfau in Karachit to train as LHV.
The nurse Marlis from Switzerland, who also worked in the Cameroonian subsidiary project and received a medal of merit there, continued to run the BHU.
Labels: AFA, DGFK, DGFK e V Berlin, Dr Elizabeth Carew Reid, Dr Leila Masson, Dr Ruth Pfau, Dr Senta Siller, Marlis Bartkiewitz-Schmitt
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 1:16 PM,
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Anjman Falah e Aama (AFA), Thatta Ghulamka Dheroka, Okara signed a Memorandum of Understanding with M/S Okara Patients Welfare Association (OPWA), Okara on Wednesday, December 1, 2021 at Okara as a part of patients welfare in every way possible. Senior administration of OPWA, Amjad Ali and Dr Norbert Pintsch were present at the signing ceremony.
Strong linkage between AFA and local like minded concerns is a critical tool to tackle the key challenges in rural Punjab. OPWA’s experience and expertise will go a long way in creating awareness about the prevention of diseases and improving the lives of people in the area.
This MOU should lead to increased, diversified set of activities for both the parties involved.
On this occasion, OPWA shield was also presented to Dr Norbert Pintsch.
Labels: AFA (NGO), Amjad Ali, DGFK e V, Dr Leila Masson, Dr Senta Siller, MoU, Prof Dr Norbert Pintsch, ThattaKedona
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 10:49 AM,
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What started in 1991 when DGFK produced the movie titled "Amjads Village" in the small Pakistan village
Thatta Ghulamka Dheroka (called Dolls Village located 80 Kilometers from Lahore) became a great project famous all over the world. Thanks to the volunteers who kept coming in the village and kept training the local girls and boys in skills to preserve the unique rural culture as and at the same time, generate additional income for the participants. In the meanwhile, dolls and toys produced by the villagers traveled in the boxes of foreigners and diplomats everywhere.
The huge numbers of
volunteers who have been associated with the project are now a very closely knit community. They meet together and update each other whenever there is a possibility (or when they can create a possibility). On 26 June 2017, some volunteers had an informal meeting in the old and new centre of Berlin, and had a blast from the past.
Dr Senta Siller who has become a household name in the Village because she has taught handicrafts to almost every girl in the Village. Not only that, she has practically lived in the Village for almost three decades. Also,
Dr. Farida Khawaja who assisted her with translation and local consulting. Dr Senta Siller established Women Art Centre (WAC) in the Village in 1993 that is working research, design and management consultation centre.
Dr Leila Masson, who was in the Dolls Village for 18 months during 1991 and 1993, and who laid foundation of the Basic Health Unit (BHU) in the Village and served as a medical doctor there during her stay?
Prof Norbert Pintsch - a researcher, architect and engineer – who set up Technology Transfer and Training Centre (TTTC) in TGD in since 1996 TGD and is working as project and Consultant ever since.
A guest lady Nadine Kessler also attended the meeting.
Thanks to active participants of local NGO Anjuman-e-Falah-e-Aama, the Village has changed overtime. During the years, large number of foreigners and locals traveled to Thatta Ghulamka Dheroka, electricity came to the village,
fruit and flower trees are in each home, water pond and drainage systems are working, and now the solar power has changed the way people live in the Village.
Labels: Dr Leila Masson, Dr. Farida Khawaja, Dr. Senta Siller, Prof Dr Norbert Pintsch
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 11:47 AM,
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By Omar M. Ali
BHU is the basic health unit of the NGO Anjuman-e-Falah-e-Aama (AFA) in the vilage of Thatta Ghulamka Dhiroka. The BHU is now existing since almost 25 years.
The story begin with the work of the young German-Pakistani doctor, Dr Leila, who saw the documentary film
Amjads Village, produced by DGFK in 1991 and wanted to work in the village on voluntary basis. This was a big challenge at that time because none of the facilities of NGO were available.
It was in this phase, i.e from 1991 till 1999, that also Dr. Leila Masson from New Zealand and Dr Elizabeth Carew-Reid from Australia worked on the project in the village. The aim was, that the project should itself provide the basic health facilities using traditional as well as western medicine.
In the next phase, 1999 till 2008,
Dr. Karola Groch and the nurse Marlies Bartkiewitz-Schmitt looked after the project, during which however, there were certain erroneous developments, due to which Marlies pulled herself back, as traditional medicine and self financing of the effort through treatment of village patients become disturbed.
The main initiator of the project,
Dr. Senta Siller, was later able to win a Canadian organization for supporting the project and needed for this purpose a doctor, who unfortunately misunderstood many cultural factors, which ultimately endangered the health project.
In the next, the current phase, from 2008 on wards, the voluntary and regular support of Dr Leila Masson helped to settle the financial misunderstandings and from 2014 on wards, the traditional approach, i.e. use of alternative and traditional remedies, were again able to be used in the project. Other experienced volunteers provided by SES also helped in this regard.
Health is not improved through suggestions and giving of medicine only, but rather a complete effort, i.e. clean drinking water, looking after the school children by approval of the parents, disposal of waste and sullage water, etc. is needed.
AFA is now again very active and has recently joined hands with another NGO to strengthen its work, in which the nurse Marlies from Switzerland is once again gladly participating.
Labels: Dr Elizabeth Carew-Reid, Dr Karola Groch, Dr Leila Masson, Marlies Bartkiewitz-Schmitt, Omar M Ali, Thatta Kedona
posted by S A J Shirazi @ 9:32 AM,
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