BABU SINDHUJA

Healthy baby

Eighteen-month-old Babu Sindhuja sleeping on her mother’s shoulder is a picture of content. For a month now, she has been on supplementary food provided by Hand in Hand’s Pfizer Malnutrition Programme. Health mobilisers discovered that the baby was malnourished during a routine check-up of village children. The mobilisers provided the parents the supplementary food needed for the baby. They also taught the mother how to maintain a nutritive diet for the baby, so that she does not lapse into malnourishment again.

The Malnutrition Programme was implemented by Hand in Hand with the support of Pfizer to address malnourishment of children in the 0-5 year category, which is a common problem in some parts of Tamil Nadu. As part of the initiative, routine health camps are held in villages and children are weighed and classified as malnourished, and then set on the supplementary feeding programme. The nutritious diet packages are provided to the mothers, who are taught the correct method of feeding. Positive changes are often recorded within a month. To ensure that the impact is not lost, the programme is followed up for a year. House visits are made by the mobilisers to monitor progress and the children are weighed at regular intervals.

Often, doctors and hospitals do not reach out to people in the poorest and most remote villages. The Pfizer programme, among others, is part of Hand in Hand’s comprehensive health initiative in rural communities, which takes basic healthcare and awareness to these communities. Awareness campaigns on issues such as hygiene, sanitation, alcohol consumption and family planning, adolescent health and anaemia are held. At the periodic free medical camps, basic medication, vaccinations, and vitamins are made available, and referrals made to specialists for more complicated problems.

Today, Babu Sindhuja has regained normal weight but Hand in Hand staff will continue to check on her for a year. The baby’s parents, a weaver and his wife, are thankful for the intervention, “Not only were we provided with nutrition supplements, but the staff visited our house every morning at seven to make sure she was well fed.”

Babu Sindhuja looks healthy and much happier now.