Peace has to begin in the family.

Born in Austria, Barbara Wiser passed her medical exam in 1977 and travelled to India. There “Dr. Barbara” met her husband Baba Krishan Nath. She decided to open a hospital in northern India, specialized in homeopathy and acupuncture. Soon local help was found to run the facility with her. Dr. Barbara has dedicated her life and her medical experience to those in India who are not able to pay. She organizes regular health awareness workshops to ensure that people know important facts about their bodies and how to prevent diseases, helps families and tries to improve the situation of the young.

“This is the century of women.” Dr. Barbara Nath Wiser strongly believes that this Indian prophecy will come true. She opened up her Krishan Nath Baba Memorial Charitable Trust Health Clinic in Sidhbari in 1989. The clinic is dedicated to the memory of her late husband Krishan Nath Baba, who was a respected spiritual personality in the area. He died shortly after they returned to India with two children. Before, he had accompanied her to Austria where she took up an internship in Vienna, and he had looked after the first born. That enabled her to gain a great deal of general medical experience and to study homeopathy and acupuncture. Dr. Barbara built the temple her husband had asked her for at the place he had chosen as the perfect one. It is the center of the village now, a place where people meet. Men and women, no matter of what religious denomination. She likes to see Hindus close to Christians as she believes that all religions serve the same purpose. She would also like to see more happy young people. And she misses the voice of her singing husband, when he met with men and sang and danced with them to keep up traditions. It would make a difference today too, an alternative to alcoholism for which the young and restless fall. It is easy: no work, boredom, alcohol, drunkenness, no work. Dr. Barbara has her priorities: the health of the 5000 inhabitants is still poor, the working situation harsh, the drinking water contaminated. There is clean water at the clinic. But there is more to do. Since 1998, her Nishtha Center Project has been bringing women and some men together for seminars, awareness workshops, and disease prevention. The people of Sidhbari and those who visit from the area of Kangra Valley learn how to plan their families. To work out family crises. And they see that there indeed are perspectives in life. A woman’s movement, the path to peace.

Nishtha Rural Health, Education, and Environment Center India Aktion Regen Austria