India: Childhood Malnutrition Eradication Program
Eradicating Malnutrition and Improving Healthcare Practices: Q2 2016
October 18, 2016
Rakesh Dhole and Deanna Boulard
Summary of Activities
The project’s goal is to reduce the prevalence of underweight children under 5 years old and to reduce child mortality from malnutrition by strengthening communities and village-level government facilities’ capacity to identify, treat, and prevent malnutrition. This project aims to prove that a holistic, decentralized, community-based approach to malnutrition eradication will have better health outcomes, be more inclusive for children under 5, and will be more cost-effective in the long run than centralized approaches, especially for rural, marginalized tribal communities.
Since our Malnutrition Eradication Initiative began in 2010, this program directly impacted:
- The tribal rural population of 881,741 people in Madhya Pradesh, through RMF’s program coverage in 15 administrative blocks of 5 tribal districts Barwani covering 71,628 households in 600 villages.
- The program has directly impacted 36,290 children in the age group of 0-6 years.
- More than 3,227 children have received lifesaving treatment.
- 555,933 individuals from rural villages have received training on malnutrition awareness and prevention in their villages.
- The families of the CNEs RMF employees as part of this initiative, many of whom are from the intervention villages themselves and use their salary from RMF to support their children’s education and to improve the lives of their families.

Results &
ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Making a Difference
Preventing, Identifying, and Treating Malnutrition
- 1,186 households received CNE counseling services.
- 1,537 individuals (mainly women and adolescent girls) participated in the abovementioned CNE household counseling sessions.
- 7 severe cases of malnutrition were treated and improved.
- 34 moderate cases of malnutrition were treated and improved.
- 15 new severe cases of malnutrition were identified for management either within the community using service delivery platforms or in households and/or referred to Nutrition Rehabilitation Centers.
- 42 new moderate cases of malnutrition were identified for management either within the community using service delivery platforms or in households and/or referred to Nutrition Rehabilitation Centers.
- 8 cases of severely malnourished children were referred to Nutrition Rehabilitation Centers.

Recording Health Practices
Determining Needs for Social Enterprise
Survey data analyzed thus far:
- Total villages surveyed: 50
- Total rural tribal population in the 50 villages: 76,635
- Total households in the 50 villages: 15,000
Survey key findings:
- 85.6% of rural respondents are not using sanitary napkins.
- 53.6% of the rural population is unaware of the purpose and use of sanitary napkins.
- 87.6% of the population is not using mosquito nets.
- 40% of the local population is not using nail clippers (out of 1,500 respondents).
- 84.5% of the rural population is not using panties.
- 99.3% of the rural population is not regularly using soap for handwashing before eating and after defecation.

Social Enterprise Model
Preparations and Plans
- An MOU has been signed with the government of Madhya Pradesh for support of ABM activities in 5 districts of Madhya Pradesh.
- This pilot project’s goal will be to cover 98 villages through the involvement of 10 Swasthya Sahelis.
- Each CNE is to act as a depot-holder for affordable products and choices that help communities improve healthcare practices by adopting hygienic behaviors.
- Each community cadre will have a cluster catchment of 10 villages and will cater to a population range of 10,000 to 15,000.
- Each cadre is to act as a “Swasthya Saheli” (Catalyst of Change) and lead a long-term campaign: “Swasthya Samudai, Swasthya Pradesh” (Healthy Community, Healthy State).
- Every Swasthya Saheli is to distribute these products: sanitary napkins, panties, soap, mosquito nets, nail clippers, first aid kits, pregnancy test strips, water purifiers, and condoms.
- Capacity building of the team to handle the social enterprise is being prepared.

Background
& Objectives
Background
This project empowers communities through health literacy and connects rural communities with the government health and nutrition services available. This project aims to prove that a holistic, decentralized, community-based approach to malnutrition eradication will have better health outcomes, be more inclusive for children under 5, and will be more cost-effective in the long-run than centralized approaches, especially for rural, marginalized tribal communities. Our team of up to 75 Community Nutrition Educators (CNEs) and 6 District Coordinators has covered enormous ground across 5 districts and 600 villages in Madhya Pradesh.
Objectives
- To reduce the prevalence of underweight children under 5 years old and to reduce child mortality from malnutrition by strengthening communities and village level government facilities’ capacity to identify, treat, and prevent malnutrition.
- Continue to identify new SAM and MAM cases, refer complicated cases to the NRC and provide home-based counseling for all malnourished children
- Refer 1,000 SAM children to government centers for treatment with a 50% success rate Quarterly
- Conduct 2,500 Community Nutrition Meetings Quarterly
- Conduct 9,000 Individual Family Counseling Sessions Quarterly
- Send CNEs to Nutrition Rehabilitation Centers (NRCs) to help counsel families present
- Continue to develop linkages with government health and nutrition services
- Strengthen institutional capacity with support from World Bank’s India Development Marketplace Award.

Numbers
Served
- Malnutrition support to approximately 6,559 children under age 5, target population 100,000 children under age 5
- Messages reach a population of over 81,010 people, target population 500,000 people
- 16,446 households covered in the Barwani block


More Reports on: Childhood Malnutrition Eradication Program Archive
Country Page: India
Initiative Page: Childhood Malnutrition Eradication Program