MYSORE-KARNATAKA

Public health dialogue on public health issues is becoming increasingly important in India to improve the health status of the people. The project 'eoeHealth on Stage'e is the continuation and the follow up of global effort spearheaded by Asia Europe Foundation and FSL India to mobilise the local community for public health dialogue. It is a unique model that attempts to pool up of young international volunteers and engage them in intensive dialogue with local community by using 'eoeforum theatre'e as the medium for communication. Health on stage will be implemented in rural areas in Mysore. Water related issues and water borne disease will be the important components of Health on Stage programme. The volunteers would visit in groups and performed forum theatre and promote Health on Stage. After a brief inter-cultural exchange and learning the applications of 'e~forum theatre', the volunteers of 'eoeHealth on Stage'e would perform for one month focusing on public health with all its social and cultural dimensions. Under the broader framework of Water and Public Health, a wide range of local issues were will be taken up for dialogue and seek solutions. Hygiene and sanitation, waterborne diseases, preventive and curative aspects of health, water and environment, water conservation, indigenous water purification measures will be the issues to be dealt with. The forum theatre will not be so much with language based. It will predominantly be body language and action based communications. Initially the volunteers would spend time in social mapping to identify the local water and health issues and through forum theatres analyze the issues with the community and design locally available solutions. This will trigger the thought of the people they would realized that it is they who are principally responsible to find out locally available solutions to their numerous water and public health problems. A local person skilled in form theatre will work with the volunteers throughout the workcamp.