User:Penn S.M./sandbox

Early Life
Born to Paul Ratna Samy and Gladys on August 19, 1941 in Sawyerpuram, a village in south Tamil Nadu, R.A.C. Paul was one of five children. He had two older sisters, Priscilla and Nirmala, and two younger siblings, a sister Ramani and a brother, Dhanapaul. Growing up in a Christian household, R.A.C. Paul grew to dislike pastors because Christian management unjustly indicted his father and his father consequently lost his job.

Education
Paul entered the Madras Veterinary College in 1957 and he accepted a position at the Virudhunagar Veterinary Hospital in 1963 after graduating from the Madras Veterinary College with Bachelor of Veterinary Science. While working at the Virudhunagar Veterinary Hospital, Paul’s interest in medical missionaries and missionary work was fostered by his regular reading of the Institute of Medical Science magazine. Iris attended the C.S.I. Ewart Matriculation Higher Secondary School, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science. After earning her Bachelor of Science, she earned her Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from Kilpauk Medical College. As part of her work, she became a member of the Emmanuel Methodist Church’s outreach team.

Family Life
Paul married Iris, Daughter of Mr. Walter, a wealthy United Nations civil engineer, on January 24, 1972. The Pauls had two sons: Remo (1974), which means “man” in Bondo, and Manoranjan (1977), which means “amusing person.” The Pauls also adopted two children. On a visit to Koya in 1985, the Pauls took in Kosa’s, a previous patient and recent widower, son and named him David Livingston. On a separate trip back to Malkangiri in November of the same year, the Pauls adopted the daughter of Kangatharan, a man whose wife had also died.

Mission
A. Journey

Paul’s sister’s friend Gunaseeli introduced Paul to Pastor, Rev. Dr. Sam Kamaleson, a fellow veterinarian. Because of Rev. Dr. Sam Kamaleson’s influence, Paul began to attend church services again after his long period of time disliking pastors. After his great health struggles with his kidney, Paul decided to dedicate his life to serving God. To fulfill this goal, Paul learned about a position for an Orissa missionary, and on January 16, 1967, Paul was on his way to Orissa. On January 23, 1967 Pau arrived in Malkangiri.

B. Malkangiri

The ten tribes living in Malkangiri when Paul arrived were Kadaba, Koya, Santhali, Poraja, Boomia Ronna, Madia, Gondh, Kuri, and Bondo. To better integrate himself with the natives and his surroundings, Paul learned the state language, Oriya, in Jeypore, a town nearby. Paul moved to another small village after his hut was burned down along with some of his books. In February of 1972, the Pauls served with the Indian Evangelical Mission. The Indian Evangelical Mission sent the Pauls two missionaries (Jeyapaul Sithar and Sasi Kumar) to help them with their work.

C. Reaching Hand Society

Reaching Hand Society is an organization the Pauls founded. Reaching Hand Society centers its work in the district of Malkangiri in Orissa. The Reaching Hand Society affects two hundred and ninety eight villages that live in the area of Malkangiri, Orissa. Combined, the villages' populations amount to a total of about 420,000 inhabitants. Of the population in this area, over half is tribal. People of low castes make up about twenty percent of the total population in this specific area. The Reaching Hand Society's central issue is its medical mission. The medical outreach this organization conducts mainly helps treat different diseases that affect the local community. Such diseases include leprosy, tuberculosis, and malaria. In this area of Orissa, these diseases are endemic. Remo Paul, the Pauls' son stands as the Reaching Hand Society's executive secretary. Remo married Dr. Susan Sunalini who is now the medical superintendent for Reaching Hand Society.

1. Refuge Home The Refuge Home, also called Ashrya Nivas, provides care and housing for twenty one children. Children in the Refuge Home follow normal lives and take part in normal activities including attending school. Funding to continue this project and build additional infrastructure to place different workshops and areas of worship are greatly needed, however.

2. Hospital When the Pauls began work in Malkangiri through the Reaching Hand Society, proper roads and electricity in buildings were lacking. The three medical clinics established by the Reaching Hand Society were built in remote, isolated villages. One of the clinics, St. Luke's Temple Hospital was built and equipped with an operating theater, delivery room, and dental facilities. Because trained dentists in this area were completely lacking at the time of the establishment of the clinic, India Partners sent over dental volunteers to assist the Pauls in their clinical work. India Partners volunteers treated thousands of patients. Apart from treating patients, the India Partner volunteers also took the time to train the Reaching Hand Society staff in proper techniques for extractions. Reaching Hand Society offered proper eye care and eye examinations as well as provided reading glasses. Eighty villages were provided with free immunizations.

3. Programs

First Aid Training The establishment of a partnership between India Partners and Reaching Hand Society took place. Reaching Hand Society staff were trained in basic first aid knowledge. Reaching Hand Society volunteers spread the knowledge of first aid to the tribal villages and leaders. Trauma, accidents, and poisoning events were all life-threatening incidents that the staff and volunteers became accustomed to treating.

Literacy Training In an effort to increase literacy rates in the Orissa area, Reaching Hand Society worked on one-year literacy campaigns. Mostly performed in surrounding villages, these campaigns still lacked schools. The literacy campaigns, however, led to increased literacy rates in local villages. The Reaching Hand Society continues providing free education to remote villagers.

Empowering Women A way that the Reaching Hand Society group has sought to empower women includes introducing local women to savings plans. The introduction to savings plans has greatly reduced women's need for borrowing money from moneylenders. The Reaching Hand Society introduced women to a micro-credit plan. This specific type of economic plan was introduced in the form of cash and/or animals such as goats. The animal used is passed along as part of payment through the loan/borrower process. This new system has not only increased the women's knowledge but it has also increased the amount of entrepreneurial skills. The women helped through this program are better able to conduct business.

Legal Aid and Prisoner Rehabilitation Four different districts have been targeted to receive this help from Reaching Hand Society. Female prisoners are taught the skill of making handicrafts in the local jails. Prisoners are provided with different tools such as games, typewriters, and sewing machines. One of the program's greatest successes is having taught over a thousand prisoners how to read and write. Through this program, weekly Sunday worship is also held.

Public Health Education Awareness programs are conducted under this branch. These programs include street songs and plays, skits, and rallies. Awareness programs cover various topics such as health, sanitation, tribal rights and education.

Tribal Empowerment According to the Reaching Hand Society, empowerment is the key to continued and sustained development. This branch also holds awareness programs. Awareness programs convey the villagers' rights and powers. National pride is another topic that is also stressed. Grand celebrations are held for national holidays that support this ideal. Examples of such days include Independence Day, Republic Day, and Gandhi's Birthday.

Water Resource Management Education on proper use of basic dams has been provided to tribes by the Reaching Hand Society. The education provided on proper use of dams has led to great improvements in irrigation. Reaching Hand Society partnered with EFICOR to build tube wells in five hundred and forty villages. Tube wells provided clean water to villages. Clean water led to a reduced rate of water-borne diseases. Women's need to walk long distances to obtain water was eliminated due to the installation of tube wells. Five ponds were also created in effort to conserve rainwater. The five ponds that filled with rainwater were useful for providing cattle with water. Digging the ponds provided a chance for locals to be employed. The construction of a check dam was also completed

Late Life and Death
A. Health Setbacks In 1975, Iris fell ill with tuberculosis. Paul experienced extreme kidney pain during his third year of studies at the Madras Veterinary College. He received medical treatment at the Royapettah Hospital. His kidneys were so damaged that he was in desperate need of a transplant. Iris's father paid for the Pauls' (Iris and R.A.C.) trip to the United States for R.A.C.'s urgent transplant. After Paul's successful transplant, the Pauls returned to India. Both missionaries that had been sent to assist the Pauls with their missionary work were sent back to the Indian Evangelical Mission because those in charge of the Indian Evangelical Mission thought that Paul's heart w as not strong enough to continue the work. The Pauls subsequently resigned from the Indian Evangelical Mission. Once while driving, Paul suddenly experienced a paralytic attack. After his incident, Paul was unable to continue with his missionary work. Instead, he helped Iris with her medical work. During the latter part of 1985, Paul became more ill after suffering jaundice and typhoid. B. Death Paul was admitted to the Christian Medical College and Hospital Vellore because of complaints of chest pain. On September 30, 1986, Paul was taken in for bypass surgery. Dr. R.A.C. Paul died during the surgery. Vellore was the site of Dr. R.A.C Paul's burial.

Legacy
In 1996, Iris was awarded for her and her husband's hard work and dedication to helping others through their work as medical missionaries. World Vision International awarded her the Robert Pierce International Award. This award is in recognition of a person's dedication of his or her life to ministry work with humanitarian service. Before the Pauls started their literacy programs through the Reaching Hand Society, literacy rates were recorded. These values were then compared to literacy rates after the literacy program started. The Pauls' work in 120 villages led to an increase in literacy from .4% to 40%. From 1988 to 1990, the Reaching Hand Society conducted free immunization programs in eighty villages. A total of 4,800 children under the age of twelve were vaccinated. The Government of Orissa conducted a survey after the vaccination program was put into place. The results of the survey showed that in the eighty villages covered, whooping cough had fallen from 40% to 5% and a drop from 10% to 0% was witnessed for polio incidences. In collaboration with EFICOR, Reaching Hand Society has helped provide tube wells in five hundred and forty villages.

References