Snakes and Ladders - ERU Consultants Pvt. Ltd.
Snakes and Ladders - ERU Consultants Pvt. Ltd.
Snakes and Ladders - ERU Consultants Pvt. Ltd.
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Balwadis of Pratham (Mumbai, Delhi etc.) <strong>and</strong> Uttarakh<strong>and</strong> Sewa Nidhi of UP<br />
are examples of successful innovations in the non-government sector.<br />
o This shift will enable the AWW to concentrate on nutrition <strong>and</strong> health of children<br />
in the 0 to 3+ age group, pregnant <strong>and</strong> lactating mothers, adolescent girls <strong>and</strong><br />
more importantly in nutrition education of the community. This will also ensure<br />
that nutrition supplements <strong>and</strong> other health interventions reach the most needy.<br />
o Another important spin-off of this restructuring would be that children in the 3 to<br />
5+ age group could benefit from the universal mid-day meal programme, thereby<br />
improving their nutritional status. This is of particular importance for children<br />
from poor families.<br />
- Since not all poor children have access to the ICDS centre (especially in UP where each<br />
village has only one centre), the government should consider making it a universal<br />
programme for all children in the appropriate age group as also all pregnant <strong>and</strong> lactating<br />
mothers in the catchment area of the ICDS centre. It is important to emphasise that provision<br />
of dry rations to pregnant <strong>and</strong> lactating mothers’ defeats the very purpose of supplementary<br />
nutrition. Given the precarious economic situation of the households studied, the supplement<br />
goes into the food kitty of the family.<br />
o Educating the women / adolescent about the importance of iron supplements <strong>and</strong><br />
how it impacts on the overall health <strong>and</strong> well-being of women in the reproductive<br />
age group needs serious attention. How <strong>and</strong> when the tablet should be taken<br />
(definitely not on an empty stomach) needs to be driven home. One of the<br />
suggestions made was with respect to changing the form <strong>and</strong> composition of iron<br />
supplements in order to minimise side effects <strong>and</strong> increase acceptability.<br />
- The monitoring of ICDS centres <strong>and</strong> workers needs an urgent review. It may be worthwhile<br />
considering the involvement of the Panchayats or educating <strong>and</strong> empowering the women’s<br />
committee to play a more effective monitoring role to ensure that programme meets its stated<br />
objectives / goals.<br />
o In particular, that women’s groups like Mahila Samakhya, Swashakti or self-help<br />
groups are educated <strong>and</strong> empowered to play a proactive role in ensuring<br />
effectiveness of the ICDS programme. It is a matter of concern that these groups,<br />
though aware of the problems <strong>and</strong> the m<strong>and</strong>ate of the ICDS programme, are not<br />
playing any significant role in the villages surveyed.<br />
Educational Resource Unit Page 97 April 2003