Provide Nutrition to Migrant Children For a Year

INTRODUCTION

Young children playing and roaming unsupervised is a very common sight in Bangalore. With both parents working the whole day, children are left to themselves or an older person keeping tabs on all children. Migrant children are extremely undernourished and live in unhygienic surroundings. Their safety is under threat all the time. Children also lose out on their education when they move around with their parents to different places of work. Migrant women are not able to go to work leaving their children alone in the labor colony and even when they go to work their focus is always on the safety and nutrition of their children.
Sampark realized in cities, to enable migrant women to join the labor force and earn an income to contribute to their family income, they need support through childcare services. With the absence of social networks in cities and to focus on children's health, nutrition and education, Sampark runs 22 crèches in various locations in Bangalore. The children are provided a safe and fun place to play and learn basic languages, numbers, arts and crafts.

Most of the children are under-nourished and the health and nutrition requirements are secured by providing them breakfast, lunch, and snacks in the evening. The crèches work from 9.30am to 5 pm. Children as young as 6 months old are taken in, Balwadi consists of children from 3-6 years
and Non-formal Education from the age of 6 to 12 years. 

IMMADIHALLI COLONY CRECHE

We present you the updates from this center in Whitefield, Bangalore. As of the last quarter, the total number of children was 73 (36 girls and 37 boys) children received the services of crèche. 8 new children joined the creche, 7 children went back to their village and 3 children rejoined the creche.  

1. PAEDIATRIC HEALTH CAMPS

Monthly health camps involve screening of all children, monitoring of height and weight, prescribing medicines for children with illnesses, identifying skin diseases, malnutrition, and other symptoms, and providing treatment for the same.  A total of 46 children were screened of which, 24 were girls and 22 were boys. About 15 children identified with illness. The common physical ailments that were identified in children during the health camps were cold, cough fever, and anemia. During the same camps, 2 female workers were screened as they were having a cold, fever, and body pain. Sampark team members were able to link the children to the local Primary Health Centre at Immadihalli. These linkages helped to provide age-appropriate immunization. During the reporting period, 2 children (2 female children) accessed age-appropriate immunization. These immunizations include a Booster dose.

2. NUTRITION

Sampark set up the crèche keeping in mind that children’s nutrition should be given utmost priority. During the reporting period team provided Khichdi (rice, dhal, and vegetables cooked together) during the afternoon, and in the evening egg or banana, or peanut bars were given every day. All the 73 children accessed the nutrition.

The team monitored the height and weight of 34 children who are aged below 5 years (crèche and balwadi category) regularly and are made to follow a strict diet plan. During the reporting period, 10 children were identified as undernourished children and a special diet (Anaz mixture) is provided to these undernourished children.

3. EDUCATION & LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Crèche caters to children under 3 different categories. Crèche: Children above 6 months to 3 years, Balwadi- children between 3 – 6 years, and Non-formal education for children above 6 years. Activities related to overall development such as cognitive and physical development were implemented on the
children in the crèche. The topics covered during the reporting period are –My Family and Life Skills.

4. COMMUNITY INTERACTIONS

Parents Meetings - Every month parents’ meetings are conducted to discuss the issues related to
individual child’s growth, and health issues, and feedback are given on their performance in learning and health. During the reporting period, 14 mothers participated in the parent's meetings and cover important topics like Children’s Safety, Personal Hygiene, Importance of Childhood 0-6 development and child growth, Overall Development, Importance of Childhood, and the importance of pulse polio are re-iterated in every meeting.

Focus Group Discussions - During reporting period two Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted in labor colonies and discussed anganwadi linkages, personal hygiene and children safety.

These are the activities and updates from children, which help mothers to participate in work and improve their livelihoods.