Education India Project #31546

Fighting Malnutrition Through Child Care in India

by Seva Mandir

Project Report | Apr 5, 2022
Creating a Better Tomorrow for Young Children

By Atul Lekhra | Programme Incharge

Hansa, aged 4, is enrolled in Seva Mandir’s Balwadi (daycare) center in Dhar-Madar, a village in rural Rajasthan. She was only 1 year old when her mother Shanti abandoned her. Now her grandmother is her primary care-giver and accompanies her to the center every day.

We organize regular health checkups for the children in all our Balwadi centres. Hansa was in the red (severely malnourished) category when she joined our Balwadi center. Owing to her physical weakness, she could not actively participate in the routine activities of the Balwadi center.

Being severely malnourished, Hansa would often fall ill. So the female instructor at her Balwadi center, took her for a visit to the pediatrician. After the doctor's consultation, she was given extra daily care in the form of 2 nutritious meals and multivitamin syrup.

Hansa slowly recovered and is now in the yellow category (malnourished). She is doing fine but requires more care to move up to the green (healthy) category. She is recovering well and now actively enjoys her day at the center.

Her grandmother is very happy with her decision of enrolling Hansa in the Balwadi center. She takes very good care of Hansa and follows the recommendations of the Balwadi instructor.

This is just one example of the impact of Seva Mandir’s Balwadis on children. A big thank you also goes to you, our supporters. With your help, we have been successfully running this program.

We are excited to share with you that we are participating in GlobalGiving’s Little by Little Campaign, which will run from 04^th to 08^th April 2022. It is a five-day crowdfunding campaign. All eligible donations of up to $50 will be matched at 50% during the campaign.

We need your support once again to help us get matching funds, which will then help us reach out to more children in need. For only $50, you can provide life saving nutritious meals and protein snacks to 30 children.

Your donation will build a brighter future for underprivileged children. Thank you once again for your continual support.

Regards

Atul Lekhra & the Seva Mandir team

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Dec 28, 2021
Season's Greetings from Seva Mandir!

By Atul Lekhra | Programme Incharge

Dear Friend,

From all of us here in Seva Mandir we wish you and your family Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May the new year brings to you lots of love, laughter, and joy.

Soniya, is a cheerful caretaker at one of our day-care centre (Balwadi). The children are less hesitant around her and over time, tend to develop a relish for her warm company.

Soniya recalls- her uncomplicated routine and the fun of group teaching before the pandemic hit. “The euphony of children singing aloud nursery rhymes in their own sweet voice, and playing with their animal themed flash cards- are some of my favourite moments that I hold in my bag of memories.” she says. She clearly remembers how a sense of togetherness helped the children groom into better individuals and develop self-confidence. She also recalls the ease with which the children would make friends and participate in activities together.

However, after COVID-19 hit India, nothing has remained the same.

Following the government’s safety guidelines and protocols, Centre-based Balwadi day-cares are not functional for the time being. But the caretakers of our Balwadis are now shifted to a new routine i.e. grouped day-care arrangement where they do activities with children in small groups. They can now entertain not more than five children in one sitting.

Our caretakers have also maintained a continuous supply of nutritious food for the children, helping lower the risk of malnutrition, especially during such trying times. Only parents are allowed to come to Balwadis and collect the food for their children in their own tiffin-boxes.

We hope that this situation will soon change and we will again see small children coming to Balwadis for their regular schedule. Times like these come with challenges of their own, yet caretakers like Soniya remains hopeful.

We would like to thank you for letting us meet our commitments in the field and for all your trust in our work.

Our whole team wishes you a lot of joy and happiness during this holiday season.

Best Wishes,

Atul Lekhra & the Seva Mandir Team

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Nov 1, 2021
Spreading Light, Happiness and Good Health

By Atul Lekhra | Programme Incharge

Kajol (name changed), 3-year-old girl, enrolled in Seva Mandir’s Balwadi (Daycare) in the Badgaon block of Udaipur district comes from a very poor family, with her parents working as daily wage labourer.

Two years ago, when Kajol joined our Balwadi, she was severely malnourished. Since, both her parents had to go out to work, she was often left neglected at home without care and nutrition required for her normal growth. Her parents got to know about the Balwadi centre near their home and got her enrolled. She diagnosed with malnutrition during a regular health check-up camp at Balwadi and was referred to start treatment for malnutrition immediately at a nearby Community Health Center.

It took her 8 months to come out of the danger zone. Balwadi Instructor gave special attention to her health and fed her with nutritious food like Soya Chunks and Kichadi (Indian dish made of lentils and rice).

According to Kajol's parents, “The Balwadi was a life savior for our daughter. Since we work as labor to make ends meet, we had no option to leave her at home unattended. But Seva Mandir’s Balwadi is a blessing. Here, our daughter stays in a safe environment and also gets nutritious food with care. It's been two years since our daughter is attending the Balwadi. We can go to work with a free mind without worrying about her health and safety.”

It is due to generous support from friends like you Seva Mandir has been able to run these Balwadis.

Thank you once again for all your help and support. From all of us here in Seva Mandir we wish you and your family a very HAPPY DIWALI, the Festival of Lights.

Warm regards,

Atul Lekhra & the Seva Mandir Team

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