Dr. Anand Ahankari writes

“In 1980, Dr. Shashikant Ahankari posted  a questionnaire of 140 questions on the  notice board  of Aurangabad Medical College based  in Maharashtra  state.  One question was very personal, asking, “When you were born, was your umbilical cord cut by a knife or with a stone? Even then, you did not catch  tetanus  infection  and  you lived.  Is  this  a  coincidence?  Should  such coincidences  occur in someone’s life or should we think differently about  them?” Many of these  questions had no easy answers, but they created  discussion among the  students.  A group of them  decided to find some answers and began the Health and Auto Learning Organization (HALO) on 10th  September 1980. The purpose  was  to  create  social  awareness  among  medical  students  and  society,  provide  medical treatment and  implement rural development and  women  empowerment programs.  In 1992, the members of the HALO Movement felt the need to have a more formal structure.  The Halo Medical Foundation was officially registered as a charitable trust in order to provide a legal form and structure to the spirit alive within the hearts of these volunteers.

In September 1993, a terrible earthquake  struck the Osmanabad and Latur Districts of Maharashtra. More than  10,000 people  were dead, even more injured  and many people  were displaced.  About 25,000 houses  were  destroyed.  Then, the  Halo Medical  Foundation (HMF) began  to  work in the villages affected  by the  earthquake  providing health and infrastructure support.  Members  of the organization came together  and observed the health concerns of the villagers. Instead of short-term service, they  wanted  to  focus on  long-term sustainable healthcare services in  the  affected  and surrounding areas. They decided to form a grassroots, health service at the village level by training health workers. The project  was started  in January 1994 in the  form of “Bharat-Vaidya Training” (Village Health Worker) at Andur. Since then,  HMF has engaged  women  across all socioeconomic levels and implemented a variety of projects such as self-help group activities, awareness campaigns, sustainable farming,  livelihood  programs,  maternal and  newborn  healthcare projects,  as  well  as research assignments.

40  villages  are  connected  to  our  health  and  self-help  group  programs  covering  nearly  65,200 population. We also have network  of village health committees in 90 villages of Osmanabad  and Sholapur district. Further, HMF functions in 79 urban slums of Sholapur city and 20 villages in rural areas. Today, HMF is directly connected with more than 300,000 population. We continue to expand our work, and are looking for new and innovative ways to improve the lives of all.