HEALTH
Health & Hygiene Intervention at Nandore &Kolgaon, Palghar
Nandore and Kolgaon are two of the 135 tribal villages of Palghar Block of Palghar district.With a combined tribal population of 4016 people (528 families), Nandore and Kolgaonare located 100 Kilometers from Mumbai,
very close to the Palghar District office.
Some challenges:
The health conditions in these two villages are very poor. There is one sub center and no PHC at Nandore and Kolgaon. The sub center is dilapidated with minimal facilities. The awareness among communities and children on non-communicable diseases, health and hygiene are also minimal, adding to the burden of minimal health facilities. These unfavourable circumstances were further amplified due to the COVID 19 pandemic. With support from Care Ratings & Rothschild, Concern India Foundation bridged the gap in the health services for the community by conducting health camps, referrals & health awareness sessions for 4016 community members.
Our Focus:
The project envisaged a holistic approach on health and education at Nandore and Kolgaon, Palghar. Specialized trainings of Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM), ASHA and Aanganwadi helpers were organized on the topics of health, nutrition coupled with communication skills, pre & post-natal care, etc. Door to door awareness sessions on the pandemic and the use of safety measures were conducted for 528 households, especially focusing on health and hygiene. The ASHA & Aanganwadi workers
were also provided with the safety kits such as gloves, sanitizers and masks.
The Gramin Rugnalaya (rural hospital) of Palghar caters to a population of close to five lakhs. With the increasing number of COVID cases in rural Palghar, the hospital was facing challenges in the availability of essential commodities such as PPE kits, sanitizers, gloves and so on. As part of the project, PPE kits, N95 masks, triple layer masks, sanitizers, plastic aprons and non-sterile hand gloves were made available to the hospital. These essential resources strengthened the hospital’s capacity to fight the widespread pandemic and treat the patients better.
Malnutrition is a pressing issue in many rural areas of our country. This is particularly critical to deal with during pregnancy. However, economic constraints often come in the way of obtaining the required nutrition. The project facilitated setting up kitchen gardens for 50 pregnant women of the two villages. This ensured the women have access to healthy and nutritious food during pregnancy and also gave an opportunity to the families to earn some additional income during these trying times.
Menstrual health and hygiene are crucial for adolescent girls. In rural areas, girls generally don’t have access to sanitary pads or are unable to afford them due to economic constraints. They then have to resort to unhygienic means to manage their periods. As part of the project, 405 adolescent girls were provided with information on menstrual hygiene and given
sanitary napkins.
In conclusion:
Interventions addressing malnutrition and menstrual health will go a long way in improving the overall health of the community members, particularly women and children. The project enabled the community and strengthened the existing health institutions, making quality healthcare accessible to the 528 families of Nandore and Kolgaon.
Therapeutics And Educational Intervention Programme For The Children With Disabilities (Kolkata)
Children by themselves area vulnerable group of the community. Disabilities in children increase their already vulnerable state. Many children with disabilities are subjected to discrimination and negative attitudes in their day-to-day lives. The society still has a long way to go to become truly inclusive, meaning that children with disabilities often find themselves on the sidelines, struggling to meet even the basic needs, such as quality education. The situation is far more deplorable in rural areas and among the lower socio-economic population.
In such a scenario, programme is a ray of hope for children with disabilities. The Centre has been providing rehabilitation services, opportunities and protecting the rights of the children, women and persons with disabilities in India since 1999. Concern India Foundation provides financial support to this Centre which provides rehabilitation support to children with disabilities through physiotherapy, speech therapy, multisensory therapy, ADL (Activities for Daily Living) management training, special education, behavior modification training and also training programmes for the parents and family members of the children with disabilities at Sankrail Community Rehabilitation Centre (CRC). The family members of children with disabilities play a crucial part in the development of the child. The training programmes at the centre help train the family members to meet the special needs of the child. The Centre also trains community members in skills like physiotherapy to support children with disabilities. The CRC runs under the Community Based Rehabilitation Division (CBR). It aids in getting the required support for children with disabilities in the community itself, rather than relying on hospitals. The children enrolled in the CRC are in the age group of 1 -1.5 years to 14 years and mostly come from underprivileged backgrounds.
CBR, supported by Concern India Foundation, provides services to children with locomotors disability, those who have limited movement of body parts due to injuries, diseases or disfigurations in the bones or muscles or any injuries of the brain, spinal cord or the nerves. The Centre provides wooden crutches and child-support aids which are cost effective. Children with cerebral palsy, amputated limbs, polio, paralysis and congenial deformities come to CBR primarily for rehabilitation services. Children with physical disabilities avail the physiotherapy service and children with intellectual disabilities mainly attend the special education classes after the age of 4. Children with multiple disabilities attend both classes. The Centre also facilitates enrolling the children in either mainstream schools or special schools. The programmegoes on to ensures the availability of an accessible environment for the children with disabilities and hence engages with parents and other stakeholders from time to time. Certain disabilities can be prevented if the right measures are taken in time. Therefore, the Centre builds awareness in the community to decrease the rate of childhood preventable disabilities.
Through this intervention, Concern India Foundation is supporting the needs, hopes and aspirations of children with disabilities to promote their wellbeing and future prospects.