The community health initiative aimed to work on the preventive and promotive aspects of healthcare to bring about changes in health practices and health seeking behaviour in the community. The project also aimed to create repositories of knowledge in the community as a legacy. This component was initiated in early 2012 with the support of the Tata Trusts.

The programme involved working with fifty women from the community – 10 full time Sehat Aapas and 40 part time Sehat Sahelis. Several capacity building workshops, trainings and exposure visits were conducted on to prepare this team to take on the responsibility and challenge existing knowledge, attitudes and practices.

These capacity building workshops have helped built a strong foundation for the community health team and helped them grow so that they are not simply the ‘link between the community and the public health system’ but a repository of knowledge and often the first point of contact in the community.