Comprehensive Rural Health Project, Jamkhed

The Comprehensive Rural Health Project, Jamkhed (CRHP), has been working among the rural poor and marginalized for over 40 years. Founded in 1970 by Drs. Raj and Mabelle Arole to bring healthcare to the poorest of the poor, CRHP has become an organization that empowers people to eliminate injustices through integrated efforts in health and development. CRHP works by mobilizing and building the capacity of communities to achieve access to comprehensive development and freedom from stigma, poverty and disease. Pioneering a comprehensive approach to primary community-based healthcare, the Jamkhed Model, CRHP has been a leader in public health and development in rural communities in India and around the world.

The work of CRHP and the Jamkhed Model has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, and has been introduced to 178 countries around the world. Annually, CRHP provides services that directly impact half a million people in the state of Maharastra, with an indirect impact of over a million across India. Since the opening of the Jamkhed Institute for Training & Research in 1994, over 22,000 local and 2,700 international representatives from NGOs, governments and healthcare organizations have been trained in the Jamkhed Model. At the core of this comprehensive community-based approach is its embrace of equity for all, utilizing healthcare as a means to break the cycle of poverty.