22 July 2019 OUTLOOK 49
medication keep them from proper nutrition. A
majority of women interviewed during or after
the session hardly knew about the benefits of a
mother’s first milk and that newborns should not
be fed anything else for at least six months.
“Honey-ginger ghutti or iron syrup should be
given to the newborn within first hour of birth. I
gave my children cow milk and look how healthy
they are,” says Ramkali. She is a mother of two
and attended a community dialogue in her
neighbourhood. Though Ramkali’s children are
healthy, her year-old daughter has not developed
a strong digestive system and discharges occult
blood sometimes in her stool. A check-up rev-
ealed her child was lactose intolerant and cow
milk, powdered barley and other tough-to-digest
items worsened her stomach.
“If I had not attended this session, I would have
never known that we all were following a myth;
feeding our children the incorrect things comes
from unawareness,” Ramkali says. Now, she is
conscious of what she is feeding her children and
never misses a chance to let others know that: “A
mother’s first milk acts as immunisation for the
baby. It provides the strength to fight from dis-
eases; mother milk is a balanced meal as it has all
the nutrients in right proportion.”
According to the Global Nutrition Report 2018,
India still faces major malnutrition crises as it
holds one-third of the world’s stunted children. It
accounts for 46.6 million children who are
stunted and 25.5 million children who are wasted.
Anaemia is a known cause of maternal deaths
and risk factor for low birth weight. It is the pri-
mary cause of prolonged health issues in child and
mother. This is a major factor determining mor-
bidity, mortality and long-term impact on health
outcomes in adult life. Evidence suggests ante-
natal care and institutional delivery as key health
interventions to reduce maternal and child deaths.
Short-term effects on foetal and infant health are
increased risk of morbidity, infection, prematu-
rity, possible birth defects, cretinism and possible
damage to brain function.L
ACK of awareness, illiteracy, early marriage
and patriarchal norms—like, the self-sacrific-
ing custom of women in the family eating last,
after everyone’s eaten and whatever little
food is left—are factors that often keep women
from adequate nutrition. For this, it is important
that a sustained dialogue is initiated, engaging all
stakeholders. DigiPoshan made sure that along
with women, their husbands and elderly mem-
bers of the family were also addressed through
the community dialogue since they are the deci-
sion-makers in most households.
In rural pockets where talking openly about
pregnancy and maternal health—especially in
community gathering—is taboo, Preraks had a
challenging task. Apart from identifying the
problems and helping create awareness on mat-
ernal health, they would often have to counter
incorrect practices and dogmatic family patri-
archs. “We were asked by elderly members of the
community, ‘Humse bhi zyada jaante ho kya? (Do
you know better than us?)’. Short films and dia-
logue cards, posters proved to be helpful in such
situations,” recalls a Poshan Prerak.
Aware and informed, participants of the pro-
gramme are now responsible mothers and have
learnt to ask questions. “The community dia-
logue has busted age-old myths on pre- and
post-pregnancy practices. Now I know what to
do for my child’s health,” says Varalaxmi, a young
mother from Visakhapatnam. During interac-
tions, she learnt the correct way of breastfeeding
and the importance of colostrum (mother’s first
milk) for newborns.
Such drives made women aware, empowered
Preraks, and induced a level of confidence in
them. “I have not only become an agent of emp-
owerment but have also moved a step ahead in
transforming other women of my village for
them to reach out to their peer groups with the
knowledge that they have acquired” says Manju
Khedi, a worker from Rajasthan’s Alwar. Only
healthy mothers can lay the foundation of a
healthy society. The initiative strongly believes
that educating a woman, not only means educat-
ing a family but the community at large as well. O
(Some names have been changed)Poshan has
assists called
Preraks who
are busting
myths and
spreading
the good
word on
nutrition in
rural areasTABOO -BUSTING
A Poshan workshop
at a village in
Murshidabad,
West Bengalhttps://poshan.outlookindia.com/