Almost 50% of all the children’s death (under the age of 5) in India is caused by malnutrition.
20% of the children across India, that is almost 8 million children suffer from malnutrition and various other illnesses associated with it.
Almost 1 million of these children are met with their death due to starvation, dehydration or related diseases.
Such severe and fatal is the impingement of malnutrition in our country.
In this darkness, when the children’s mortality rates are so high, the Action Against Hunger, India came for their rescue.
Action Against Hunger, India is a non-profit, community-based organization which offers its service for the management, and hence benefit of the malnourished children of our country.
This organization is governed by their mission statements:
“No more hungry children in India.
No more deaths caused by starvation.
No more irreversible damage to mental or physical health due to lack of food or water.
No more denying our children their basic human right to be free from hunger. “
What it does:-
- The organization is committed to the treatment and prevention of malnutrition in both urban and rural areas in the three states of India: Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. It aims to detect, treat and prevent acute malnutrition in children and pregnant women, so that they can grow up to become responsible citizens of our country: healthy and strong and reach their full potential of physical and mental growth.
- The organization has been functional in identifying and diagnosing the most acutely affected children by nursing them with therapeutic food (also known as ready-to-use therapeutic food, RUTFs) for example, therapeutic milk formulations, peanut based paste packaged like a power bar, and other micronutrients.
- Local people who volunteer, are trained to keep a check on the treated children so that they do not fall back to their previous state of malnourishment.
- Pregnant women and young mothers are educated on the importance of proper nutrition and are suggested accordingly to the availability and affordability of food items in that region.
- The organization has arranged for campaigns to raise awareness among communities for their better understanding of malnutrition and its impact and how to cure and prevent it.
- To prevent this ailment more effectively, this organization funds research projects to study the underlying causes of acute malnutrition and to produce efficacious remedies to treat it.
- The organization has also realized that the cure for malnutrition is not restricted to merely distribution of food but also the availability of sufficient, drinkable water.
- Action Against Hunger organizes programs to educate families to develop long term income sources, so that they can become self-sufficient and in the long run provide themselves with proper nutrition.
Action Against Hunger,India has taken up focus on the three main measures to eradicate malnutrition:
- Agriculture and livelihood: The promotion of the importance of agriculture and upliftment of the farmers in the country is directly related to the solution for malnutrition. The organization provides tools, seeds and the correct knowledge to the various communities to grow their own food.
- Income generating activities: These activities are meant to provide opportunities to communities to be self reliant, so that they can pull themselves out of their state of poverty.
- Water, sanitation and hygiene: The organization ensures the availability of safe, drinking water and educates people about sanitation, hygiene and the importance of maintaining them in order to avoid diseases.
Some of the organization’s research and surveys have yielded results:
- Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transition (SMART) survey:-
This survey gives one an idea about the current scenario of malnutrition on the ground level. This method of detection associates a software known as ENA (Emergency Nutrition Assessment ), that helps in collecting and managing samples. It predicts for waste, stunted growth, underweight along with information related to birth, death and migration.
- Rapid SMART survey methodology:-
During emergency situations, when collecting larger samples space becomes impossible, the rapid SMART survey comes to play. This survey records only for a smaller sample space of 200 children.
- Semi Qualitative Evaluation of Access and Coverage (SQUEAC) survey methodology:-
SQUEAC methodology is created to evaluate the potential barriers and boosters of CMAM (Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition) programmes. The information collected in this survey is through triangulation of secondary, qualitative and quantitative data and by far, has been successful and accepted worldwide for CMAM campaigns.
- Link Nutrition Casual Analysis (NCA) study:-
This study is based on the principles of UNICEF casual framework. It provides information for the prevalence of malnutrition and the various underlying causes affecting it in that geographical region.
- Knowledge, Aptitude and Practice (KAP) survey methodology:-
The methodology is largely used to understand the level of knowledge, attitude and practices regarding any intervention (infant and young child feeding, water sanitation and hygiene, nutrition, etc.) among the communities. This methodology is semi-qualitative in nature and is usually implemented as a baseline and end line KAP in program areas in order to juxtapose the before and after scenarios within the communities.
- Rapid Nutrition Assessment (RNA) survey:-
This is a rapid assessment methodology which can provide information about malnutrition status within a very short period of time (2 – 4 days). This methodology provides information about prevalence of acute malnutrition as only mid upper arm circumference is measured to assess nutrition status of children.
- Exhaustive assessment:-
This is a blanket survey methodology mainly used to create a census like survey in any geography. The exhaustive assessment is conducted to have a line listing of children under 5 within the program area to analyze the effect of malnutrition at the household level. This methodology is used to create a baseline for any new program.
All these surveys provide major support in the research for more efficient remedies for malnutrition.
Even during this current, stagnant situation, due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the organization is still functioning full fledged to provide some relief to the poor people whose livelihoods have been endangered by consecutive lockdowns in the country and can afford food for their families.
Gradually the organization is making a million children free from malnutrition and in the process making the pillars of our nation stronger. They surely have made an impact in the lives of many children, with their persistence and zest but there is indeed a long road to travel before this hunger crisis ceases once and for all.
