Lesley Schwab is an Orthopedic Physiotherapist from Prince George, BC, and has been a Case-Based Learning tutor in the Musculoskeletal block of the undergraduate UBC medial program for the past 4 years. Her passion for physiotherapy and physical rehabilitation has taken her as far away as Koppal, South India. Lesley’s friend and fellow physiotherapist, Hillary Crowley, created a not-for-profit organization in 1994 called the Samuha Overseas Development Association, or SODA. Lesley has been vice president of the group since 2001. SODA works closely together with SAMUHA, an Indian organization that offers many different services to help vulnerable people in remote villages. These include offering physiotherapy for people with disabilities and supporting a variety of programs such as early intervention, vaccination, income generation & vocation.
SODA is a unique organization in that 100% of all funds obtained through different fundraising events in Canada go directly to projects in India. There are no administration costs. All the money goes towards paying the Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) workers’ wages, paying for crutches and prosthetics, and to build facilities such as the recently opened Spinal Cord Unit. The most amazing part is that it only costs about $8,000 to build a whole treatment center like the Spinal Cord unit, which has just recently taken in its first spinal cord injury patients.
SODA is also unique in that it strives to make each project self-sustaining. For example, when SODA was first created, polio was a common problem in the villages of South India. Hillary trained illiterate people to become CBR workers to treat polio patients using physiotherapy. The CBR workers started working in 3 small villages, and now there are approximately 30 CBR workers to cover over 200 villages!
Since then, polio has been declining as vaccinations become more routine practice, so CBR workers are now being trained to treat other conditions, such as spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy and rickets. Every year, Hillary and a group of 3-4 physiotherapy and occupational therapy students from UBC and Queen’s University go to India to work with the CBR workers, where they help to deliver new information and learn from the CBR team and Hillary. In the process, Canadian students gain a new perspective on physiotherapy and global health.
Lesley’s involvement with SODA focuses on fundraising here in Canada, as her field of expertise – orthopedic physiotherapy – is not as much in demand in India as neurology-related physiotherapy. She is now working on her next fundraising project, which will involve photography that she has taken during her travels in India. Lesley is a prime example of how one can contribute to global health in your own home country. She urges students who are interested in global health to not be stopped by expensive travelling costs when trying to get involved. You can get involved right here in BC!
Here are some ways you can get involved with or learn more about SODA:
- Attend the annual fundraising dinner in Prince George in November.
- Buy someone a gift voucher from the SODA catalogue, such as one year of home-based rehabilitation therapy for $100, custom leg braces for $40, or a 6-month tailoring course for a person with a disability, including their own sewing machine, for $250.
- Visit their website www.samuha.ca for more information.
Lesley’s Yummy Recipe for Cauliflower Curry from India:
Ingredients
- 1 medium head cauliflower
- 2 potatoes
- ½ cup peas, frozen or fresh
- 2 green chiles
- ¼ tsp grated ginger
- ¼ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- ¼ tsp garam masala, optional
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
Instructions
Peel and cut potatoes into chunks. Remove seeds from chiles. Heat oil. Fry cauliflower pieces until browned (fry a few at a time; cover while frying to save time and oil). Remove and set aside. Fry potatoes until browned. Add cumin seeds. Add remaining ingredients, except water and vegetable oil and fry for a minute. Add water. When boiling, add cauliflower and peas. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes. Check that cauliflower and potatoes are tender. Serve with rice or bread.
Written by Natasha Simula, 2nd year UBC medical student (Class of 2016).