Amanda Luken is interested in global health. She knew working that into her co-op was important, which is why the biology major signed up to head to India to work for Madras Christian Council for Social Services. The group is in Chennai, India, and is dedicated to empowering the impoverished and marginalized to learn more about the most vulnerable populations.
Luken, who is also minoring in international affairs and mathematics, writes that she is conducting research on the prevalence of domestic violence against slum-dwelling women from start to finish and analyzing data on the progress of the self-help groups’ microenterprises and political involvement. The NGO works with more than 400 self-help groups that compromise 24 federations.
“My other contributions range from developing a Child Protection Policy for the the organization’s at-risk children to heading workshops on environmental conservation, women’s health, and more,” she writes. She also has worked on the NGO’s annual report to ensure funding from the group’s German donor.
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A few of the SHG leaders from one of the federations meets inside the tiny abode of one of its members for their six month evaluations. (courtesy photo)
