Most people have heard of the main cities or landmarks of India – the Taj Mahal, Ganges River, Mumbai, Goa… but where is this tiny place that we’re headed to??
Koppal is a small town located in the state of Karnataka, in the southwest of India.
There are around 60,000 people who live in Koppal proper, but it’s bordered by several other towns that are also serviced by Samuha.
During our time in Koppal, we’ll be sleeping, eating, and working out of the lovely Samuha Samarthya campus. It has simple dorm-style sleeping quarters:
A common eating area:
…and a large conference room (for educational camps for parents, meetings, and teaching sessions for the local workers).
Of course, there is also a laundry facility (talk about getting an arm workout!):
There’s also a fabulous workshop where orthotics, braces, and seating systems are made by the very lovely couple – Muthanna and Kahmalla – both of whom are affected by polio and met when they were employed by Samuha.
Recently some rooms were renovated to create the Early Intervention Centre, where local families can bring their children for active physiotherapy treatment at the facility. There’s also a spinal cord unit where Hilary and the other three students will be working (we’ll take photos of these when we get there). What a great experience to be able to work with a wide variety of clients in a very rural setting!
