My project focused on evaluating the impact of the de-addiction services that SVYM provides to seven slum project areas in Mysore as part of Phase II of their Prerepana Project. This involved field visits to these slum districts and interviews with recovering addicts, their families, and their friends. In the interviews, I asked respondents about their drinking habits, earnings, the amount of money they spend on alcohol, their health condition, and their relationship to their families before and after their involvement with SVYM. I organized all of the data that I collect into a pdf document where each page is table with the results from the interviews. The numerical data that was collected was then put into a spreadsheet, so that data analysis could be done. This data analysis culminated into a report that discussed the impact of SVYM’s de-addiction services. I found that those who were able to receive help for their addiction through SVYM’s services experienced an overall decrease in alcohol consumption, an increase in daily earnings, a decrease in daily spending on alcohol, an increase in daily spending on the family or savings, and a decrease in health issues. This suggests that SVYM’s de-addiction services have made a positive impact in the project areas they serve.
In addition to this report, I wrote another report that discussed strategies to prevent youth substance abuse in the seven project areas. As part of this report, I created a pdf file with suggestions for posters that could be put up around the community as part of an anti-drinking media campaign.
Overall, I learned a lot about addiction, myself, and my privilege through my experiences in the field. The opportunity to meet women who are struggling to raise a family with alcoholic husbands while simultaneously joining community-based empowerment groups was truly inspiring. I cannot wait to apply what I have learned in India to my coursework at Cornell and beyond.
-Wyndham
