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‘Jeevan Shakti’ Mela to Happen in Janakpur

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Kathmandu, December 15, 2018: The Janakpur Women’s Development Centre (JWDC), University College London Institute of Global Health, HERD International, and Media for Development are collaboratively organizing a drama and a funfair, ‘Jeevan Shakti’ Mela in and around Janakpur to increase knowledge about diabetes. The drama will travel around villages surrounding Janakpur from the 11th of February 2019 where the Mela will be on the 22nd and 23rd of February in Janakpur’s Bara Bigha.

The organizers have started by training JWDC artists with research skills and interviewed diabetic and non-diabetic men and women to learn about local understandings and effects of diabetes. Artists developed a pictorial consent form to help them explain the purpose of the research and ensure they followed ethical procedures.  

The research was discussed with the local health worker, Umesh Kumar Yadav, and the local advisory committee to frame the focus areas for the Mela. There are games, interactive displays, photo-stories, films, a quiz and a drama which will be at the Mela for everyone to play, learn and win prizes. Local schools, Minap, Janakpur Beats and Step Dance Studio and many more collaborators are joining to bring an amazing stage show to the Mela. There will also be the free blood glucose testing, and nutrition counseling with health workers ready to measure individual Body Mass Index and discuss maintaining a healthy weight. The Wellcome Trust funded this activity.