A grant from FHI will enable the New India
Evangelistic Association (NIEA) to distribute blankets and clothes to patients
visiting eight mobile medical camps, scheduled over the next few weeks
in Bihar. Staff working in the region report that close to 100 people have
already died in the area due to the cold.
"This morning, while on the train
to work, one of our staff members reported that frozen body of a little
child was found on the railway platform," wrote Dr. Alexander Philip,
NIEA's director, in a recent situation report. "For Bihar's 45,000
villagers, living where even electricity is absent, the dampness and chilly
winds mean weeks of suffering and untold misery for hundreds of thousands."
At each medical camp patients have the opportunity to visit with a physician or dentist. They will also receive basic instruction in health and hygiene. In addition to clothing and blankets, NIEA hopes to dispense free medication to 2,500 patients over the next two weeks.
To minister to spiritual needs, NIEA will set up counselling/prayer facilities at each medical camp. They will also make audio tapes of the life of Jesus available to patients who wish to purchase them for a small fee.
NIEA was founded more than 25 years ago and currently works in eight Indian states.