“Prabhat Nutrition Program” is an initiative supported by Prabhat – HUL’s community development being implemented by Centre for Knowledge and Development, which aims to improve the nutrition status of pregnant and lactating women (PLW) and young children in the Buldhana and Nasik districts of Maharashtra and Kutch district of Gujarat.
The program uses a behaviour change approach to benefit:
CKD has embedded the need to channel community to galvanise social change as a guiding principle. From our organizational ethos to our programmatic impetus, a Human Centered Design approach forms a fundamental base.
We have applied four-pronged approach to achieve an accelerated reduction of Low Birth Weight and Wasting among children in the project blocks.
Local community motivators were motivated to become Nutrition Saathis for delivering messages in the local language and ensuring long-term sustainability. Over 46 Nutrition Saathi’s were trained and placed in the villages serving as a fundamental source of ground-level leadership.
Strengthening Jan Andolan through community-led interventions: Creating community-level consensus for women, adolescent girls, and the community to prioritise and act through Participatory Learning and Action (PLA).
Inter-personal Counselling by Nutrition Saathis: Equipping women and their family members, such as in-laws, husbands, and community in general, with the knowledge to adopt and practice key actions in caring for themselves and their children.
Strategic use of mid-media: Reinforcing the importance of maternal nutrition and infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices, including dietary diversity through mid-media activities such as wall painting.
Support in creating nutri-gardens: Supporting the Anganwadi Centres (AWC) and households in target villages to develop nutri-gardens to tackle malnutrition and anaemia with a focus on locally available food.
Use of technology: Incorporating technology as a critical component in assessing nutrition and health related indicators such as the weight of the beneficiaries, delivering important messages with the use of tablets for continuous tracking and course correction.
Counselling in schools: Creating awareness on recognition and treatment of anaemia and menstrual hygiene through school-based counselling sessions and subsequently equip teachers to deliver such messages independently.
Beneficiaries from all target groups reached through interpersonal counselling by Nutrition Saathi
Beneficiaries reached through Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) led community meetings
Adolescent girls reached through school sessions
Beneficiaries reached through activities during Poshan Maah
Nutrigardens have been established in all three-project location
Community meetings have been conducted over 3 modules of PLA
Nutrition Buddies participated in Community events, such as Annaprashan Diwas, Vaccination Day, Godbharai, Baal Tula Diwas, and Adolescent Day
School sessions for orientation of adolescent girls on anemia and menstrual hygiene management
Wall paintings at strategic locations on three themes namely, well- being of family, anemia in adolesecent girls and nutrition of PW
