Health and nutrition programmes play an important role in the holistic development of children, ensuring they have access to nourishing meals, clean water, and essential resources crucial for cognitive and physical growth, particularly during formative years. These programmes have a significant positive impact on the lives of millions of children and their families.
The health and nutrition programmes by the Government of India and NGOs like Bal Raksha Bharat (also known as Save the Children) become a lifeline for children and their families. Bal Raksha Bharat, for the past 15 years, has been providing children in India with access to quality education, healthcare, nutrition, protection from harm, resilience-building, inclusion, and humanitarian relief services. In 2022 alone, their child health and nutrition programmes benefited over 3.43 lakh children.
In this article, we will delve into the strategies employed by the NGO to ensure children have access to health and nutrition programmes, as well as their collaborations with the Government of India on various levels to achieve this critical mission.
Ensuring Health and Nutrition for Every Last Child
Childhood is undeniably a pivotal stage in human development, marked by rapid growth, learning, and the formation of lifelong habits. During this crucial period, several factors contribute to shaping a child’s physical and cognitive development, and one of the most significant among these is child health and nutrition. The impact of good nutrition on children goes beyond the surface level, deeply influencing their immune system and overall well-being.
Ensuring the well-being of children during their formative years is a shared responsibility that involves various government bodies and organisations like Bal Raksha Bharat.
- Efforts towards children’s well-being include Bal Raksha Bharat’s collaboration with government ministries and research institutions, like the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, NITI Aayog, and State Governments, to ensure effective child healthcare and nutrition programmes in hard-to-reach areas.
- They also partner with the Indian Council for Medical Research – National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR NIN) to use scientific expertise to improve initiatives.
- Additionally, their alliance with the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) aids in understanding population dynamics for tailored interventions.
Innovative Strategies Implemented by the NGO
Here are several innovative approaches that Bal Raksha Bharat has adopted to guarantee access to health and nutrition for both children and mothers:
Education & Training
Bal Raksha Bharat educates and trains various stakeholders to ensure the well-being of children, adolescents, pregnant women, and lactating mothers. The organisation is working to enhance the factors that tackle health issues and promote better nutrition, in the following ways:
- It provides training and education to Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) and Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) workers, enabling them to deliver life-saving aid to infants, young children, and mothers.
- It creates awareness around the vital roles of ASHA and ANM workers, highlighting their contributions to maternal and child health.
- It collaborates with children, adolescents, and their families to raise awareness about Maternal and Newborn Health (MNH), emphasising the importance of proper care during pregnancy and childbirth.
- It provides crucial knowledge about menstrual, sexual, and reproductive health to adolescents and community members, aiming to remove stigma and promote healthy practices under Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH).
- It empowers girls to access, make, and use sanitary napkins, promoting menstrual hygiene.
Build Awareness
Bal Raksha Bharat actively engages in building awareness of various critical issues in the following ways:
- It works with children, adolescents, and their families to raise awareness on a wide range of health-related topics, including child health, nutrition, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and health system strengthening.
- It creates and manages mothers’s groups, providing basic education and resources to ensure proper nutrition and care for their children.
Bal Raksha Bharat employs a multifaceted approach, which includes education and training, awareness-building, provision of nutritious food, strengthening the healthcare system, and improving sanitation and hygiene to advance the well-being of children, adolescents, and their families.
Conclusion
The journey of childhood is a critical phase of human development, and child health and nutrition are central to this journey. Bal Raksha Bharat’s collaboration with various government ministries and research institutions highlights its commitment to improving child health and nutrition outcomes in the country’s most vulnerable areas.
Their aim to achieve better health and nutrition outcomes for disadvantaged populations has given rise to the organisation’s goal for 2030- ‘Where they ensure all children not only survive but also learn and are protected from harm.