It is our mission to expand upon the project "Reduce Infant & Maternal Mortality in the Rural Himalayas" that we had started in 2012, and to continue to raise awareness among rural Himalayan communities and improve access to Primary Health Care.
Over half of the women living in villages of Uttarakhand are severely anaemic and/or malnourished. Poverty, ignorance and social taboos have caught the population in a vice-like grip of belief systems that are recalcitrant to change. Women and children bear the brunt of this social discrimination. Poor nutrition, relegation to the cowshed during menstruation, early marriage, frequent and multiple pregnancies, and severe dietary restrictions are what women grapple with in these areas.
This project provides extensive training for local health workers (ASHAs), Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs)in antenatal and post-natal care, safe delivery, and comprehensive growth monitoring of children in the age group 0-3 years. Through Aarohi's mother and child care program, these community members are provided with a dignified livelihood, and are equipped with the skills, guidance and support needed to aid pregnant women in safe deliveries.
Going beyond simply providing services to remote mountains villages, the Arogya Project supports the public health care delivery system by empowering ASHAs and TBAs to improve the quality of health care in their own communities. Simultaneously awareness of preventive and promotive health care is brought to community members. This ensures that mother and child health is achieved in a sustainable way.
