This project provides the required nourishment for 125 disadvantaged pregnant women and new mothers & their infants in a south Indian fishing community. Our 10-week programs (twice a year) provide these women a strong understanding of their own bodies, of child development, and the skills to raise happy, healthy babies. We cover topics on basic nutrition, health & hygiene, age-appropriate intellectual and motor stimulation for babies and provide access to our staff throughout early development.
Too many babies in India are born to impoverished, uneducated, subjugated young mothers without access to quality health care. These babies are at the highest risk for malnutrition which have devastating consequences for development, including retarded physical & cognitive growth, even death. As they grow, they will be less likely to succeed in school and when it is their turn, they are more likely to provide inadequate parenting, thus perpetuating the generational cycle of poverty & disease.
Pudiyador's cradle program plays the role of a caring family for the 125 mothers and their babies in one of our communities. We educate young women about health & hygiene, provide nourishment, and empower them to make choices for themselves and their babies. Workshops will focus on the importance of physical and cognitive development in the first 2 years of babies' lives. An early head-start enable children to overcome their socioeconomic disadvantages and get a better chance at life.
Educating and empowering young women have widespread and long-lasting consequences for any community. Providing women access to better health and information helps them fight harder for themselves and their children. Happy, healthy babies and mothers are truly the foundations for productive and successful communities. In just a few years, we trust that our cradle program will not just break the generational cycle of poverty, but perpetuate a new cycle of health, knowledge and prosperity.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
