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WFP three years intervention in MP

This is an integral part of our ‘Nourishing India’ program with a strategy to address the hunger and malnutrition right at the epicenter. This is called the ‘fast track nutrition strategy’; Empowering Women to Stop Child Malnutrition aims to break the vicious cycle of under nutrition that is caused by and contributes to the deep-rooted poverty of Madhya Pradesh, the Districts with the highest proportion of underweight children in India are targeted. The project will lay the foundation for a sustainable solution to ensure children receive the nutrition needed at the most crucial stages of cognitive and physical development (0-24 months), the window of opportunity for a best chance at a healthy and productive life. Given their primary importance to the health and nutritional well-being of children, women are at the center of this project and will;

  • Engage in small-scale production units for complementary blended food and biscuits, and staple food fortification
  • Engage in production of fresh fruits and vegetables to be used in Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), or Anganwadi centers
  • Count on improved access to safe water, sanitation and health services to meet nutritional goals
  • Receive instruction on sound nutrition, health and hygiene practices for today and future generations.

Relying on a built-in system for measuring outcomes, the program will improve nutrition, boost the local economy and foster job creation. In tackling a number of endemic problems, the results will be direct and dramatic, namely:

  • Ensuring that adequately nutritious complementary foods are available to infants and young children under two years of age;
    • The prevention of Iron deficiency will reduce the incidence of anaemia, impaired cognitive and physical performance, and maternal and child mortality
    • The prevention of Vitamin A deficiency will reduce the incidence of severe visual impairment and blindness in children and significantly reduce their risk of severe illness and death
    • The prevention of Iodine Deficiency will reduce the incidence of mental retardation
    • The prevention of Zinc deficiency will reduce the incidence of dermatitis, retarded growth, diarrhea, mental disturbances, recurrent infections and impaired growth (stunting)

The immediate steps would include the following:

  • Promoting Local Production through
    • Engaging women’s groups for production of Fortified Blended Food
    • Wheat flour fortification
    • Community Kitchen gardens
  • Capacity building through
    • Awareness generation on Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN), Training of ICDS functionaries & strengthening of PRIs and Enhancing service delivery of ICDS through community engagement
    • Providing safe water and enhancing sanitation
  • Improving Governance through
    • Digital Surveillance and monitoring of services delivered by the ICDS centers
    • Strengthening the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) through technological solutions


These multi-sectoral inputs will be coordinated through a State level Coordination Committee under the Chief Minister’s Office with members from relevant ministries, a clear mandate, and a budget to achieve it. The state govt wishes to project this as a model that can be replicated in other parts of the state to eradicate the hunger and poverty from the state. The target districts are from Bundelkhand region namely, Chattarpur, Tikamgarh and Parna with some spill over to the neighboring districts of Shivpuri, Sheopur and Guna.

 

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