Fighting Malnutrition Through Child Care in India

Namaste,

We hope that you, your family and loved ones are safe and in good health.

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought countries to a standstill in an attempt to reduce the spread of the virus. India has been under lockdown since the end of March and, although it is necessary, it is having a huge effect on the economy. It is this economic downturn that is hitting families living in poverty the hardest. 

As you are aware, many children in the area Seva Mandir works in suffer from low nutrition and are malnourished as a result of a number of complex problems all related to poverty. The lockdown has affected the availability of food in rural areas, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to get nutritional vegetables and fruits to keep families and children healthy.

The lockdown has meant that we have had to take the step to temporarily close our Balwadis. This was not an easy decision to take, but a necessary one to protect our staff, the Balwadi’s Sanchalikas, the communities, and, of course, the children.

The temporary closure has not stopped our efforts to care for these children or provide their families with support. To maintain social distancing rules, the Sanchalikas, Village Institutions and Seva Mandir field staff are conducting regular check-ups on families by mobile phone. They are training mothers and giving them advice on how to care for their children during this crisis, and to ensure that they have enough nutrition to stay healthy. We are also distributing nutritional supplements to the children once a week.

For families that do not have the ability or finances to access vital supplies such as food, we are providing them with relief kits.

We are distributing food kits (consisting of nutritional vegetables, grains, rice, oil, spices, and salt) and sanitation kits (comprising of soap and detergent), both enough to last a family of 5 for 2 weeks. Importantly, we are also providing farmers with grain-storage kits and tarpaulins to increase the amount of food they can store – essential as the harvesting season approaches.

Until now, we have reached 24,300 families- distributing 19,100 sanitation kits, 1,500 food kits, and 2,000 grain-storage kits. We are also aiding the government in their relief efforts.

However, there are still many more families left to reach, and you can help us provide lifesaving aid to them. You can give your support to our Covid-19 project by clicking here. Your donation to this fund will provide relief and support to the families of these communities during this challenging time.

You can be part of this effort whether it is by donating directly to Seva Mandir, by spreading the word of Seva Mandir to people you know, or just by sending us your messages of support.

You can keep up to date with our efforts on our dedicated Covid-19 page on our website. Click here to access it.

Once again, thank you for your unwavering support. Please stay healthy and keep social distancing.

Regards

Atul Lekhra & the Seva Mandir Team

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Links:

• Seva Mandir's Website
• Seva Mandir's Facebook Page