Austrian documents motivating Nishtha to give back to society

Dr. Barbara Wiser, an Austrian citizen, traveled to Dharamsala in 1977 to study yoga and Indian classical music because she was captivated by Indian culture. She had originally intended to take a little vacation before starting her internship at the University of Vienna while earning her doctorate in medicine.

But destiny had other ideas for her. She remained behind and married Krishan Nath Baba, a vocalist who gave her singing and harmonium lessons, in 1978.

In 1981, she returned to Austria to finish the unfinished internship.

The 75-year-old reflects, saying, “It has been a life full of struggle, but I feel enriched after serving the communities around.” in an interview with The Tribune.

She had lost her spouse in 1984. She began working as the Medical Superintendent at Major Somnath Memorial Charitable Hospital and was making the daily bus commute from Sidhbari to Dadh.

Currently, Dr. Wiser leads the nonprofit organization Nishtha, where he works with thirty other devoted volunteers to serve the community.

The Austrian President awarded her the Austrian Golden Cross for Social Service.

The organization is well-known across the area. The organization’s clinic receives frequent visits from patients from Rakkar, Molly, Khanyara, Totarani, Macleodganj, Naddi, Yol, Nagrota, and Sidhbari. Foreigners and Tibetans visit the clinic as well.

The trip has been very fulfilling for Dr. Wiser. She claims that all of the staff members work really hard and that Austria provides the majority of the financing, which covers the honoraria paid to the volunteers. Germany also sponsors physicians, school nutrition programs, and medications, she says.

Dr. Wiser has kept a careful eye on the area. “In the good old days, there was no money, but time, patience, and compassion were in abundance,” she remarks, pointing out the changes in the neighborhood.

The Nishtha Rural Health, Education, and Environment Centre is a charity trust that was founded more than 30 years ago with the goal of enhancing family welfare, with an emphasis on women and children, in order to promote the welfare of society as a whole.

It manages a main health center for the community’s needs.

Nishtha has a vibrant community center including a computer room, well-stocked children’s library, and a hall for gatherings.

The body tries to provide fruits, vegetables, and beans to youngsters who are undernourished. Through her student sponsorship initiative, Nishtha helps college-bound daughters of unmarried mothers.

Six local women activists work for our outreach program for single women. They visit every distant community within a 30-kilometer radius of our Sidhbari clinic, meeting women who are living alone. According to Dr. Wiser, it works very well at giving illiterate rural women access to government programs designed to aid the underprivileged.

She claims that twice a week, Nishtha activists organize health education clinics in one of the villages, which are manned by a doctor and support personnel.

These clinics deal with their individual medical problems.

“Our experts explain that there are more effective ways to manage problems including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and joint pain without medicine. These methods include diet, exercise, and good hygiene. In addition, the trust organizes and provides the underprivileged with wheelchairs, calipers, sit-down toilets, home remodeling items, or even blankets and beds, says Dr. Wiser.