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Parsiana
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Jiyo Parsi outreach

By Sherene Vakil · August 7, 2016
Carrying the message of hope that Jiyo Parsi embodies, program coordinator Dr Katy Gandevia and counselor Pearl Mistry visited Jamshedpur and Calcutta in late June 2016 to meet members of the community there and create awareness about the program. It is the aim of the government sponsored program to attempt to arrest the rapid decline in numbers, notes an email received from Mistry.

At a Jiyo Parsi meet Photo: Jiyo Parsi website

At a workshop organized with the assistance of the Jamshedpur Parsee Association on June 24, Mistry and Gandevia interacted with 50 Parsis of all age groups at the Baug-e-Jamsheed. Sharing with them information about the Jiyo Parsi scheme, the duo also provided tips on how to lead better family lives in today’s fast paced society. Through games, a Power Point presentation and the Jiyo Parsi documentary, they dealt with parenting, grand-parenting, anger management and the future of Parsis in India.
At the next destination, Calcutta, a similar workshop was conducted on June 26 at the Olpadwala Hall. The enthusiastic participants ranged in age from one year to over 80 years, the email states. Through role play, question and answer sessions and games, the participants were made aware of the positive potential of the community. A gynecologist addressed questions about fertility treatments, challenges in conceiving, relationship of stress and diet to fertility issues and the need to have children at an early age.
Mistry explains that these workshops not only create awareness about Jiyo Parsi but help in gathering feedback from community members and encourage couples to have more than one child. Seeing babies born in these cities through fertility treatments paid for by the Jiyo Parsi scheme was heartening, she notes.
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