Partnership with Indigenous Peoples
More than 104 million Indians, or 8.6 percent of the country’s population, belong to constitutionally recognized and protected ‘Scheduled Tribes’1, indigenous communities that fall outside the predominant Indian social hierarchy. Although the Government of India has enacted progressive legislation to improve their wellbeing, Scheduled Tribes remain among the most marginalized and disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India.
USAID/India’s Partnerships for Health supports tribal communities across India by demonstrating customized health care for different tribal communities, in consultation with them to improve reproductive, maternal and child health, and tuberculosis (TB) care. USAID programs working with tribal communities include:
Breaking the Barriers (Karnataka Health Promotion Trust-KHPT)
Creating customized models of patient centered TB care in tribal communities to bridge gaps in care.
Reaching the Last Mile Toward TB Elimination: Accountability Leadership by Local Communities for Inclusive, Enabling Services (REACH)
Helping transform TB survivors from tribal communities into ‘TB Champions’ who support others affected by TB and advocate for the community at local and national forums.
TB Health Action Learning Initiative (World Health Partners)
Facilitating innovative models of patient-centered TB care, diagnosis, and reporting, with a focus on high-risk populations, including tribal communities in Jharkhand.
Empowering Women with Disabilities (Shanta Memorial Rehabilitation Center-SMRC)
Supporting women with disabilities in tribal communities to build livelihoods, access social entitlements, and live independently in communities that are sensitive to their needs.
Sambhuya (SAATHII)
Strengthening access to quality reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent (RMNCH+A) health and TB care for tea garden workers, who are predominantly from tribal communities in upper Assam.
Nishtha: Transforming Comprehensive Healthcare in India (JHPIEGO)
Facilitating the provision of comprehensive primary health care by strengthening facilities and training personnel to meet the needs of tribal communities.
Vriddhi-Scaling Up RMNCH+A Interventions (IPE Global)
Scaling up interventions in reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health in tribal communities, including home-based care for young children in remote locations.
Engaging Private Sector Providers of Products and Services for Improved RMNCH+A Health Outcomes (WISH Foundation)
Operationalizing primary health facilities in tribal districts by offering management, human resources, and digital solutions tailored for resource-constrained environments.
Indigenous Voices and Program Highlights
As television anchors across India began reporting that COVID-19 cases were rapidly rising, Jayata, a Community Health Officer (CHO) posted at the Bimbong Health and Wellness Center in the northeastern state of Sikkim, became alarmed. “By the time it reached India, I knew it was no ordinary flu virus. It had already spread rapidly to every country in the world. I became really worried.”
Jayata was worried for two reasons: she had to protect her community from this virus and she had to protect her fellow colleagues at the health center. “It is of paramount importance that our healthcare workers are protected and the health facilities do not turn into depots of infection. How can we protect others if we are not protecting ourselves?” says Jayata, who along with other CHOs attended virtual trainings conducted by USAID’s NISHTHA project on how to protect themselves, prepare their facilities for COVID-19 through preventive measures and case management, and raise disease awareness in the community.
When India began its nationwide lockdown in March 2020, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, people with tuberculosis (TB) who depend on daily medications to treat and cure their disease were particularly concerned. With roads closed and no easy access to TB medications, TB patients risked missing doses. Without life saving medications, patients can become more seriously ill, or develop the more deadly drug-resistant TB.
Thanks to Birsa Manjhi and his motorcycle, TB patients in the rural Khunti district of India’s Jharkhand State, don’t have to worry about their medications running out during the COVID-19 pandemic. Manjhi is a TB survivor who participated in a mentorship program supported by USAID’s Call to Action Project. He is also a “TB Champion,” part of a group of volunteers helping their TB affected communities ensure better treatment and support services. He is now a ‘treatment supporter’ for ten people living with TB in this forested tribal region of the eastern Indian state, which has recently witnessed political and social unrest.
Due to Birsa Manjhi, TB patients in the rural Khunti District of India’s Jharkhand State, don’t have to worry about their medications running out during the COVID-19 pandemic. Manjhi is a TB survivor who participated in a mentorship program supported by USAID’s Call to Action Project. He is also a “TB Champion,” part of a group of volunteers helping their TB affected communities ensure better treatment and support services. He is now a “treatment supporter” for 10 people living with TB in this forested tribal region of the eastern Indian state, which has recently witnessed political and social unrest.
Manjhi is committed to ensuring that his community remains TB free despite the obstacles presented by the lockdown. “Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, people in my community are worried. People with TB whom I am supporting are afraid and need a lot of support to take their medicines on time. If they miss a dose, it will worsen their condition,” he said.
The nearest medical center is 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) away and not easy to reach during the lockdown. Using his motorcycle, Manjhi collects and delivers medicine to his patients, ensuring they have at least one month’s supply. Manjhi explained, “The ready availability of medicines eases the anxiety of people with TB. They feel assured of treatment continuation.”
Manjhi supplements these deliveries with counseling over the phone. He has taken several ailing people to the medical center on the back of his motorcycle while practicing precautionary measures like wearing a mask. Four patients were found to be positive for TB, and Manjhi helped them to find treatment.
Learn more about World Health Projects and the THALI program and see a video.
1Indigenous Peoples are known by different names in different places. The terms “hill people,” “aboriginal,” “First Nations,” “scheduled tribes,” “natives,” “ethnic minorities,” “agro-pastoralists,” “pastoralists,” etc. all describe Indigenous Peoples. To accommodate this diversity, USAID endeavors to align our terminology to the self-determined identities of the communities. For more information, please review USAID’s Policy on Promoting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.