Previous – Nutrition Programme

Project Title: Strengthening Community action for nutrition to improve child health, nutrition services and practices and reviving food diversity in the selected habitations of Junnar block of Pune district

Project Period: 1st July 2022  to 30th September 2022

Donor Agency: Finolex Industries Ltd & Mukul Madhav Foundation

Background: This project aims to address undernutrition through intervention specifically focused on synergy between systems strengthening approach as well as improved household nutrition practices based on food diversity and follow up of undernourished children approach while ensuring community involvement. In this project we have included systematic orientation about health & nutrition services; improvement in household nutrition practices; promotion and revival of food diversity; ensuring follow up and appropriate treatment of under six children in nearby health facilities by ASHA/Arogya-Poshan Saheli (village workers) with active involvement of mothers/caregivers of young children. Conducting community consultations for system strengthening is also an important strategy of this project. Which will help in addressing undernutrition among under six children.

Outcomes: 

• At the end of the pilot project, undernutrition among under six children will be reduced upto 10%.
• A child food corner (Bal Kopara) will be established in at least 25 households at the habitation level.
• By the end of the initial 3 month period, around 8 to 10 Nutri-Gardens to address food diversity would have been established.
• Awareness regarding Bharat Ratna Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Amrut Aahar Yojana will be increased by up to 50% among pregnant and lactating mothers.

Output:             

• Awareness regarding child health and nutrition services and food diversity will be generated.
• Village Nutrition Group formation process will be completed in all 10 habitations of the intervention area.
• Enhanced capacity development of 10 Arogya va Poshan Saheli (Field Facilitator) and block coordinator.
• Systematic documentation of around 5 success stories would be documented.   

Project Title: Improving the Delivery of Nutrition Services for Scheduled Tribes in Maharashtra 

Project Period: November 2019 to April 2020

Donor Agency: Bajaj  CSR

Background:

SATHI proposes to address the challenge of pervasive malnutrition in Maharashtra, specifically targeting the tribal communities. While the preceding sections have clearly established that fully addressing malnutrition requires a comprehensive multi-sectoral approach, SATHI is proposing to contribute to reducing malnutrition among pregnant and lactating women and children up to six years of age in tribal communities by focusing on the core interventions of direct nutrition services and immediately related health care services.
SATHI will focus its efforts on two components of AAY, namely the nutritional services and the public health care services necessary to complement towards improving the nutritional status of women and children. To work on both aspects simultaneously will be too much for the short period for which initial funding support is being requested. So, SATHI is finally proposing that the full project concept is implemented in two distinct yet related phases.

1. The Objectives of this project will be in two phases-

Phase 1: Improving the delivery of direct nutrition services

Phase 2:  Ensuring Core Public Health Services needed to Complement Nutrition Services

III. A description of the proposed activities, organized in four components, is detailed below.

Component 1: Documenting the Public Finance Management Issues underlying Service Delivery Gaps of AAY- To support the work of the CBOs and UAngWon the ground, SATHI will also carry-out a detailed documentation and analysis of AAY to understand the fiscal aspects of AAY underlying the service delivery gaps and unpack the blockages in its effective implementation.

Component 2: Generating Evidence and Feedback on AAY using the CBMP Approach- Adopting the CBMP Approach, SATHI will collaborate with CBOs to spread awareness on AAY entitlements among the tribal communities, particularly focusing on empowering the Village Nutrition Committees.

Component 3: Analyzing and disseminating Study Findings to the Community to Inform Social Action- SATHI will conduct a workshop to analyze the findings of the study. At this workshop, participants will agree on the major findings and recommendations for action at each tier of the implementation of the AAY.

Component 4: Discussing with Agency Group to plan Phase II- While this proposal focuses only on Phase 1 which addresses the delivery of direct nutrition services for tribal women and children, Phase 2 will focus on the core health care services to complement the nutrition services.

1. Geographical area with collaborating organizations-

District Block Name of Community Based organizations

• Thane Murbad Van Niketan
• Gadchiroli Korchi/Kurkheda Amhi Amachya Aarogyasathi
• Raigad Karjat Disha Kendra

Project Title:Moving towards institutionalization of Community monitoring and action related to ICDS services, to promote adequate child nutrition in Maharashtra

Project Period : 1st November, 2012 to March 2016 & 1st February 2017 to 31st January, 2018

Donor Agency:  Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation

Background

The programme strives to make nutrition services accountable and responsive, through community based monitoring and planning, generation of appropriate knowledge and reshaping relevant policies and programmes. The programme was implemented by a consortium of civil society organizations and SATHI was the nodal agency for the programme responsible overall coordination and monitoring 

Goal

Institutionalization of the emerging model of Community accountability and participation, for improving child nutrition in Maharashtra

Objectives:

1. Strengthening the discourse on the CBMA approach for nutrition related services at national level, contributing to its greater institutionalization and generalization
2. State level institutionalization of CBMA-ICDS process in tribal areas, along with civil society influencing key policy areas related to Child nutrition in Maharashtra
3. Systematic documentation of the CBMA-ICDS process in Maharashtra, with focus on the positive impacts and success stories
4. Consolidation and continuation of CBMA-ICDS activities in existing urban areas (Nagpur and Mumbai) while developing institutionalization of this approach in urban areas
5. Development of key elements of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) based feedback system related to child nutrition services in the state, while moving towards its adoption by concerned departments in the state.

Key Activities of the project –

• Organize consultation at state and national level for consensus building about Community Based Monitoring of ICDS.
• Advocacy with Women and Child Development department, Tribal Development Dept. and Health Dept. for institutionalization of CBM of nutrition services.
• Develop components of an ICT based feedback system (Voice messaging and SMS surveys) concerning child nutrition services, and advocating for its adoption by concerned departments in the state.
• Build partnerships with Government, UNICEF and other organizations and institutions involved in this issue.
• Research and documentation of the project process and other policy issues pertaining to advocacy.

Link for past projects: http://www.sathicehat.org/index.php/our-projects/past-projects/nutrition-rights-programme

Project Title: Pre-project activities for drafting proposal by Nutrition Rights Coalition (NRC) on Developing Community Action for Nutrition (CAN) to improve Child nutrition services and practices in Tribal areas of Maharashtra 

Project Period: 15th December 2016 to 15th March 2017

Donor Agency: Rajmata Jijau Mother – Child Health & Nutrition Mission, Government of Maharashtra

Background:

Keeping in view the continued problem of child malnutrition in tribal areas of Maharashtra, as well as the positive experiences of the pilot phase of Community monitoring and action for child nutrition, now the NRC would undertake a large state level project in collaboration with the Tribal Development Department and UNICEF on ‘Developing Community Action for Nutrition (CAN) to improve child nutrition services and practices in Tribal areas of Maharashtra’.

In this context, certain pre-project activities are being proposed to Rajmata Jijau Mission to ensure preparation of an appropriate proposal for a large scale project on community action to address child nutrition, to be implemented across all tribal districts of Maharashtra.

Objective: To develop an evidence-based and socially anchored project proposal, with effective and realistic strategies for community accountability and action related to nutrition, which could lead to significant positive impact on nutrition of tribal children across Maharashtra.

Project Title: Promoting a comprehensive and rights based approach to address malnutrition in Maharashtra

Project Period : November 2012 to September 2015

Donor Agency:  Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation

Background

It is an accepted fact that nutrition is one of the most important determinants of health and well being of any population. This fact is especially relevant in the Indian context, not only in less developed states, but also in ‘developed’ states characterized by major inequities like Maharashtra where it has become clear that Maharashtra’s human development is not corresponding with its economic growth.

A broad and comprehensive approach to malnutrition is needed for identifying not only immediate but also intermediate, underlying and fundamental causes, and hence the need for major changes at multiple levels including large scale socioeconomic changes.

It is also imperative that whatever nutritional services Government is offering to tackle malnourishment should be accountable to the community if at all they should be effective. 

General Objectives –

To create an enabling environment for the reduction of malnutrition in Maharashtra through making nutrition services accountable and responsive, through generation of appropriate knowledge, reshaping relevant policies and programs, and promotion of the Community monitoring approach for improving health and nutrition services.

Specific Objectives:

1. To promote community action towards making nutrition related programs [ICDS] accountable, responsive and effective in the intervention areas
2. To influence state level nutrition related policies and programs towards making these community oriented and responsive to accountability processes
3. To facilitate action research and innovations regarding approaches to improve nutrition at community level and to develop a contextualized understanding of the dynamics of food security and nutrition
4. To strengthen the discourse on Community Based Monitoring (CBM) of social services as a key mechanism to ensure social accountability of Public services, particularly Health care and nutrition

Key Activities

1. Accountability:

• Implementation of community based monitoring and action processes concerning nutrition related programs (ICDS and Jijau mission) in selected areas in the first year of the project
• Capacity building of the activists of Partner organizations regarding CBMP of ICDS
• State level TOT workshop with activists for dissemination of guidebooks and training of the tools for assessment of Anganwadi

• Block provider’s workshop in every intervention block to enhance the knowledge level and to build capacity of the local stakeholders like AWWs, ASHA, PRI members.
• Community mobilization and awareness in the form of street plays, AV, Posters, flip charts as well as meetings with members of various committees and local activists – with focus on women.
• Formation of the expanded body of village consisting of VHSNC plus School management committee (plus JFM / CFR where applicable) members as permanent invitees, who would be involved in monitoring Anganwadis.

1. Critical knowledge generation and Research:

• In the first phase Situational analysis of nutritional status of under-6 children will be done in the intervening areas.
• In the next phases some small research studies will be undertaken on emerging issues like Take Home Ration.

1. Advocacy

• State level workshop for advocacy with WCD and health departments to create a space for CBMP in ICDS.
• State level convention in collaboration with Right to food campaign will be undertaken.

1. Promoting CBMP as an approach to health and social services

• District / state level events for building social-political support for CBMP as an approach to make health and social services accountable and effective.

Project Title: Developing capacities of ‘Save the Children’ partner organisations for Strengthening accountability of Health & Nutrition services 

Project Period : November 2012- March 2013

Donor Agency: Save the Children

Key activities facilitated by SATHI under the consultancy project -“Capacity building of ‘Save the Children’ partner organisations for Strengthening accountability of Health & Nutrition services”

Based on preliminary interaction with Save the Children, India programme leaders, as a technical group for building capacities on Health system accountability, SATHI proposes to facilitate the following activities –

• State level workshops for representatives of civil society organizations- 3 days workshop would be organized in each intervention state. The Head of organization, project coordinator and field workers (karyakartas), who are actually going to implement the processes will be the participants for this workshop. The content of this workshop would be conceptual understanding of Health Rights, Health Advocacy, sharing of experiences and processes/methods which can be used for ensuring accountability and based on discussions and inputs in the workshop, the plan of action will be prepared by participants. 
• Mentoring of activities conducted by civil society organization in intervention areas-Mentoring of activities with the help of local resource teams/organizations within each state would be conducted. Mentoring will include regular follow up and communication with partner organization, one or two field visits as per requirement, strategic or problem solving interventions if required.
• Exposure visits for civil society organizations– In order to understand and learn from experiences of other civil society organizations who are working on accountability, exposure visits would be organized in Maharashtra. The representatives from civil society organizations will participate in these exposure visits. These visits would be organized after state level workshops.
• Review and assessment of activities and planning for next year- At the end state wise review and assessment of activities would be conducted. In these reviews, overall experience of civil society organizations will be shared as well as review of technical support and mentoring would be conducted. Based on these experiences and learning, next phase plan for each state would be discussed.