Micronutrients in Soymilk for 15,000 Kids-Orissa

Project Update – March 9, 2008

My apologies to all the generous GG donors who have been waiting very patiently for an update. Three new VitaGoats were installed in November in rural Orissa, near Sambalpur, as indicated by the new pictures. There are now 638 primary school students receiving the bread-and-soymilk micro-nutrient-fortified midday meal. There are 8 women working part-time to operate the four VitaGoats. Reports are being received regularly from the local implementing partner BISWA, both for production statistics and costs/revenues, as well as the Health Data study that is being conducted as part of the project. In addition to earning revenue from the government-funded midday-meal program, the women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs) that are operating the VitaGoats are also selling the fibrous soybean residue (known as okara) to local dairy farmers – the still protein-rich residue has been shown to substantially increase the milk output when used as feed. They are also making tofu (by adding a coagulant to the hot soymilk immediately after it is produced) and selling that for wedding parties and other special occasions. Selling tofu is very profitable; its dairy equivalent – paneer, sells for about Rs 140 / kg, the tofu can be sold for about Rs 80 / kg.

All the children who are receiving the soymilk received their de-worming medicine (Albendozole), in late October. The micronutrient mix, Budhi-Shakti, is added to the soymilk daily. We are eager to see the results of the comparative study and expect a noticeable improvement in the physical development of those children receiving the soymilk compared to the control group. One of the VitaGoats was installed in a particularly remote village in the jungle, Bolaranga, where they claimed never to have seen a foreigner. Whether or not that was true, I was certainly viewed as a respected oddity on my visit. One of their typical worries is wild elephants coming through their village at night looking for food. The children took very readily to the soymilk; their first taste resulted in all the children asking for seconds or thirds. The schools these children attend are mud-walled structures with a thatch roof, mud floor and no chairs or tables. Typically the only furniture in such schools is a chair for the teacher and a blackboard. Poverty and malnutrition were evident in the stunting of many of the residents and signs of vitamin deficiencies such as goiter were common. The SHGs in these villages were very eager to receive the VitaGoat machines and were very conscientious in learning to operate the machine and in being hygienic in operating the machine and handling the soymilk.

The next VitaGoats are scheduled to be installed in May or June – look for our next update in a few months – and thanks for your generous support. If you have any questions, e-mail me at hart@malnutrition.org - Hart Jansson, Project Team Leader.