Education India Project #31546

Fighting Malnutrition Through Child Care in India

by Seva Mandir

Project Report | Oct 3, 2019
Building a Healthy Childhood

By Atul Lekhra | Manager- Resource Mobilization

Dear Friend,

In Seva Mandir's work area adults, both men and women, have to work in order to sustain their family. As a result children, including infants, are often left unattended or in the care of older siblings who are also minors. The children lack adequate care, nutrition, safety or a stimulating environment at home or outside all essential for their development in their formative years.

Niki (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 Niki joined 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 Niki'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.”

There are thousands of children in our work area who suffer from malnutrition in absence of care and nutrition. Seva Mandir has been running full day Balwadis (Daycares) for the last 14 years to provide care and safety to such children letting their parents work without worrying for their children. Currently 178 Balwadis are operational in tribal areas of southern Rajasthan reaching out to 5000 underprivileged children.

It is due to generous support from friends like you Seva Mandir has been able to run these Balwadis. Thank you so much for your trust in us.

Regards

Atul Lekhra and the Seva Mandir Team

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Jul 2, 2019
Little Steps for a Bright Future

By Atul Lekhra | Manager- Resource Mobilization

Dear Friend,

Seva Mandir works in one of the poorest areas of India where young children are often left unattended or in the care of young siblings and are lacking nutrition, security, safety and a stimulating environment at home and outside.

The need for early child care is very high in this area. According to a survey conducted by Seva Mandir, 50% of mothers said they took their children to work with them. The health status of children is also very poor; 70% children are anaemic, and 69% children are undernourished.

In light of these issues, Seva Mandir initiated the Balwadi programme in 1984. A Balwadi is a full-day centre run by a Sanchalika (a woman from the village trained to provide pre-school and health services to the children). At present, Seva Mandir, in close collaboration with communities, is running nearly 160 Balwadi centres catering to approximately 4,000 children in Udaipur and Rajsamand districts.

Uday is a single parent to 3 children - Indra (7 years), Radha (5 years) and Lakshman (4 years) – two of who are attending a Balwadi in their remote tribal village in Jhadol block. Uday’s wife passed away in 2014 when the children were very young. Since then, all the children have attended Balwadi.

Uday works as a labourer and on his own farm to support his family. Being a single parent, he does not get time to look after his children the way he could have if he still had his wife to help him. He relies on the Balwadi to care for his children and to provide food for them during the day time, as he is unable to cook for them in the morning. His condition was well understood by the Sanchalika and she extended her full help to take care of children whilst their father worked. She ensures that they are well looked after and even waits extra hours until Uday comes back from work.

The eldest daughter, Indra, has graduated from the Balwadi but has not yet started attending school. The Sanchalika is making efforts to enrol her to the nearest Seva Mandir Shiksha Kendra (non-formal education centre).

It is due to generous support from friends like you Seva Mandir has been able to run its Balwadis. We are immensely proud of the improvements we have been able to make in the lives of these children and hope to reach out to more with your continued support. Thank you so much for your trust in us.

Warm Regards

Atul Lekhra & the Seva Mandir Team

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Apr 4, 2019
Fighting Malnutrition Through Your Helping Hand

By Atul Lekhra | Manager- Resource Mobilization

Dear Friend,

We are thrilled to announce that GlobalGiving has awarded Seva Mandir with 5 achievements (Effective Organization, Staff Favorite Organization, Top Ranked Organization, Vetted Organization, Site Visit Verified Organization) making us a top-ranked organization for 2019!

All thanks goes to our dedicated supporters that we are able to keep accomplishing more every year and changing people's lives for the better. We can't thank you enough for your support and we look forward to another successful year!

At such a young age, Roshan and Shanta have already overcome huge hurdles in their lives. Both come from impoverished families in the remote and rural region of Badgaon in southern Rajasthan, with their families struggling to make a sufficient living from subsistence agriculture.

As is the case with many children in our work area, Roshan and Shanta were suffering from malnutrition. They had become so weak that neither of them could walk, let alone stand up, even though they were at an age where this would be expected. Their local Balwadi (child-care centre) instructor, Premi, recognised immediately that they were suffering from malnutrition and that swift action had to be taken. This is in part due to the training Seva Mandir provides all Balwadi instructors, where they are taught how to notice the signs of malnourishment, amongst other basic health abilities.

Premi persuaded their parents to enrol them into her Balwadi, where she immediately started to gently massage medicinal oils into their skin to aid their muscles, and provided them with nutritional food 3 times a day, which is the norm for all children in Seva Mandir’s Balwadis.

After some time, Roshan and Shanta began to show signs of recovery, especially when they began to stand on their own two feet and take their first steps!

Without Premi’s swift action in recognising Roshan’s and Shanta’s life-threatening conditions, their stories would have been much worse. Instead, thanks to Premi and Seva Mandir’s Balwadis, the children, along with thousands more in our work area, are able to receive life-changing care and nourishment to save them from the horrors of malnutrition.

Thank you for your support and for the confidence that you have placed in us. None of this would have been possible without you.

Regards

Atul Lekhra and the Seva Mandir Team

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