Programmes

Community Action for Water, Sanitation and Nutrition in North East India

Project Title	Community Action for Water, Sanitation and Nutrition in North East India Health Phase IV
Funding Agency	Misereor, Project No. 321-903-1071ZG Kinder Mission Werk, D190317038
Duration	1^st October, 2019 to 30^th January, 2023 (Three Years)
Operational area	Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya
Target groups	Pregnant Women, Lactating Mothers, Children less than 5years old
Project Goals	The project envisages improving nutritional status of pregnant women, lactating mothers and children less than five years old and enhanced health /reduced diseases through better water and sanitation facilities in 254 villages of North East India.
Objectives	1. By the end of funding period, in the 254 targeted villages, the number of intuitional deliveries has increased by 40% and the number of children fully immunized by the age of two has increased by 30%. 2. By the end of the funding period, in the 254 targeted villages the incidence of malaria has decreased by 30%. 3. By the end of funding period, the health facilitation centres in the targeted villages are fully functional and their services reach at least 60% of the villagers. .
Project Brief	The Proposed project titled: “Community Action for Water, Sanitation and Nutrition in North East India.” The project is implemented for a period of 3 years. The project is implemented in 254 villages spread across 16 districts of five north-eastern states: Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya and Mizoram. The project envisages reducing diarrhoea and improving nutrition among pregnant women, lactating mothers and children under five years age; and providing healthcare services for people with diseases that are highly prevalent in the operational villages i.e., oral and breast cancer, ringworm, TB, HIV through PPTCT and cataract. The primary beneficiaries of the project are pregnant and lactating women, children under the age of five years and adolescent girls
Accomplishment	• The project is able to reach out to 24,075 households and 125,663 populations in 254 project villages. • With the involvement of 31 health centres, various services specifically focused on improving nutrition among pregnant and lactating women and adolescent girls; and hygiene and sanitation among pregnant women and children • Further, significant efforts are made by each of the partners to address the diseases/conditions that are highly prevalent in the respective operational villages by implementing awareness activities. • Fair contribution has been made by the project in improving the nutrition and hygiene conditions; and knowledge of the people on diseases/conditions of local importance. • Education and demonstration sessions on hand washing were organized in schools for improving the practice of hand washing among children. • Education and demonstration sessions were organized on feeding practices for pregnant women and lactating mothers. • Education and demonstration sessions on importance of balanced diet and preparation of nutritious food across colleges and SHGs. Many households have also started kitchen farming for economically sustaining the practice of balanced diet. • Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Committees (VHSNCs) across the Government PHCs have been made functional. Measures are being made by the VHSNCs for improving hygiene, sanitation and promotion of nutrition. • Campaigns and IEC drives were organized for making people understand the need and importance for open defecation free communities. These efforts have helped in improved sanitation in the villages, particularly many households constructing toilets. • The communities are empowered to undertake advocacy for improving the living conditions in their respective places. Various issues are being brought to the notice of PRI, Government and village leaders. These efforts have helped in increasing the supply of water, regular monitoring of drinking water supply and cleanliness in communities. • The impact of Health Education has been enormous in bringing about behaviour change among the communities and has improved the health seeking behaviour of people to health services. Health camps were organized by the health centers in collaboration with Government as well as other stakeholders. These health camps helped people in availing treatment for various conditions including fever, diarrhea, etc. with provision of medicines. • Networking with Government health facilities for advocacy on health issues and challenges in the villages was undertaken. These efforts have helped in improving immunization coverage. • Free eye checkup camps were organized. As part of this, people were also screened for cataract. People were also provided with free spectacles; and in Assam, in collaboration with Blindness Control Programmed free cataract surgeries were organized. • People in the villages were assisted in availing support from Government provided as part of various social security schemes. Some of these schemes of the Government for which assistance was provided include: Arunodoi scheme for women, Ration Cards, Job Cards, Old Age Pension, Widow Pension, Support for People with Disabilities, Janani Suraksha Yojna for Pregnant Women, Nutrition Support, Ujwala Scheme of free cooking gas cylinders and Housing Support among others. The support provided includes assistance in submission of application forms for various schemes, in obtaining supporting documents and generating awareness among people about the various social security schemes.