Sampark Madhya Pradesh

Women learning preparation of amrit churna, a nutritive supplement

Special efforts have been made by Sampark to improve child health and increase child protection in the project area. A local nutritious powder called Amrit Churn being popularised. It is a powder prepared with help of local cereals and oilseeds. Groups of adolescent girls are given training to prepare this powder themselves at their home and use it for themselves and younger brothers and sisters as nutritious food supplements during adolescence when major physical changes take place. Sesame, soy bean and gram are the ingredients of this powder which protects children from weakness and pregnant women from anaemia. It is useful as a supplement for a balanced diet.

A number of initiatives are being taken to improve child health:

• Deworming camp
• Village level health camp
• Workshop for child care
• Cleanliness campaign
• Malnutrition awareness rally
• Making the Gram Sabha Swasth Gram Tadarth Samiti (GSSGTS) functional
• Workshop for keeping gap in children
• Anganwadi workers’ training programme
• Child rights and protection