Physical Health India Project #1881

Life Saving Treatment to Children in Rural India

by Seva Mandir

Project Report | Jul 27, 2021
Helping Malnourished Children During Pandemic

By Atul Lekhra | Programme Incharge

Malnutrition is the leading cause of child deaths in India. Between 40 and 50% of child deaths under the age of five are due to malnourishment. More than 60% of children in Seva Mandir’s work area are suffering from some form of malnutrition. The current pandemic scenario has further worsened the situation.

The reasons for child malnutrition are multidimensional, ranging from inappropriate feeding and childcare practices and endemic poverty to lack of sanitation facilities and safe drinking water and lack of effective healthcare. Seva Mandir has developed program to address this issue in an integrated way whichhas resulted in improvements in rates of malnutrition.

Mini (name changed), was just 1 year old when she began suffering from vomiting, diarrhea and a high fever. She was brought to the community health centre where she was diagnosed as being Severely Acute Malnourished (SAM) and referred to the Seva Mandir supported Malnourishment Treatment Center (MTC). The doctor advised her to be admitted as soon as possible as her condition was critical. She had not been eating properly and was losing weight.

Her mother was unaware of the devastating effects of malnutrition and thought that her daughter was suffering from a minor ailment and would recover soon. Mini was admitted weighing just over 5kg, putting her in the most critical category. She stayed at the MTC for 13 days and started showing signs of recovery soon after her treatment began. She began to eat food which was rich in energy, fat and protein. When she was discharged from the MTC after 13 days she weighed 5.4kg, could hold her head up, which she was unable to do before, and was much more active. She is now healthy and in a normal nutritional category. Meanwhile her mother and family were counselled on recommended nutrition for the child.

This new life for Mini has only been made possible because of the support Seva Mandir receives from well-wishers like you. However, there are many more children like Mini who are still in danger and need your support.

We hope that you will continue to support our project and help us in making a positive change in the lives of hundreds of children in need.

Thank you again for your generous support. Stay safe and well.

Warm regards,

Atul Lekhra & the Seva Mandir Team

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Apr 2, 2021
Helping Children Overcome Malnutrition

By Atul Lekhra | Programme Incharge

Malnutrition is a significant issue effecting children throughout Rajasthan. Government data shows only 3.4% of children aged between 6 - 23 months receive an adequate diet & 61% of children are underweight. People tend not to see malnourishment as a medical problem so do not seek treatment. When they do, hospitals are located far away, and parents lose vital income when they take children for treatment.

Seva Mandir’s intervention reaches children aged from 7 months to 5 years old from poor rural and tribal families. Our doctors & nurses provide treatment for SAM (Severe Acute Malnourished) children with Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic Foods & routine medical care. SAM children who have larger medical complications are referred to hospitals for more intensive treatment.

But, the current pandemic scenario worsened the situation. During lock down- regular home visits, monitoring of children, nutritional assessment of children was discontinued, however, Balsakhis (children’s caretaker trained by Seva Mandir) continued counselling of mothers through phone calls and informal interactions. Earlier last year, 18% of children were underweight, which during the lockdown rose to 42%. However, after resuming of work, prevalence of underweight has decreased by 10% (42% to 32%). Despite of the current challenges, Seva Mandir is continuously working hard to improve the status.

Neha (name changed), a young and cheerful 4-year-old girl, has experience of medical care administered through Seva Mandir camps. Her father, who is an agricultural labourer takes care, alongside his wife, of Neha and her younger sister. Despite their efforts, both daughters suffer from malnutrition from combined causes of infrastructure absence and rural poverty. Neha and her sister accompany each other to Seva Mandir’s camps, where vital care is given from nurses and a Balsakhi.

Like many other infants in her village, Neha was a patient of diarrhoea caused by malnutrition through decreased nutrient absorption. She receives two daily meals from the Seva Mandir caretaker ensuring her dietary requirements are met by providing her with carbohydrates, protein, iron and other vital minerals. Now, Neha weighs 12 kgs, showing she is well nourished and with continuous striving from family and nurses she will soon live a healthy and prosperous life.

Had your support not been there, we would have not been able to help Neha and many more children like her. We hope that you continue to support our project in future and help eradicate the malnutrition. $10 from you can support the treatment for 1 malnourished child.

Best wishes and take care,

Atul Lekhra & the Seva Mandir team

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Dec 7, 2020
Ensuring Healthy Future for Children

By Atul Lekhra | Programme Incharge

Dear Friend,

When 2-year-old Kamla arrived at Seva Mandir's Community-based management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) camp she was in a desperate state. Urmila and Sushila, two of the nurses who run the CMAM camps, were shocked at her awful condition and immediately rushed to her aid. Kamla weighed just 4.5kg and was only 65cm tall - far below the average for her age. She was brought by her mother and father to seek help from the nurses, and it quickly became clear that both the parents were suffering from an alcohol addiction.

Urmila and Sushila conducted various tests to assess her health, and it was found that Kamla was in the category of Severely Acute Malnourished (SAM) - the most life-threatening. The nurses provided her with immediate treatment and Ready-to-use Therapeutic Food (RUTF - a revolutionary method used by CMAM camps to provide food that ensures rapid weight gain in SAM children). The nurses gave medication and RUTFs to Kamla's parents to take home and told them to return to the follow-up CMAM camp 15 days later. They were given clear instructions on what to provide Kamla and how to look after her before returning to ensure that she would begin her recovery out of malnutrition.

15 days passed and Urmila and Sushila opened the follow-up CMAM camp in Kamla's village to conduct checks on children they previously treated, and they hoped that Kamla would return healthier and on the road to recovery. The day went on with children and parents reaching the camp to seek treatment - but Kamla and her parents were nowhere to be seen.

They never came. The nurses were worried that something had happened to Kamla as her condition was so extreme and they decided to find them in the village. Urmila and Sushila contacted one of Seva Mandir's community health workers who knew the family, and they made their way to Kamla's home - though what they found shocked them even more.

When they arrived at Kamla's home, they found her mother lying on the floor, drunk, and her father was nowhere to be found. The nurses managed to rouse the mother so that she was aware that they were there, and they began their follow up checks to test Kamla's health. They found that not only had her condition worsened, but that she was also suffering from a urinary tract infection (UTI) and other complications. Eventually, the father arrived, and the nurses made clear that they were appalled at the condition and made immediate measures to send Kamla to the government run Malnutrition Treatment Centre (MTC) located in a hospital. The parents initially didn't want to take her, as the mother would have to be by her daughters side for at least 10 days, leaving the household to be managed just by Kamla's father. The nurses and the community health worker did not give up and they managed to persuade them to take Kamla to the MTC.

Kamla is now at the MTC, on the road to recovery. Seva Mandir's Balsakhis (women trained by Seva Mandir to provide care to children) make daily visits to her to monitor her improvement. She has already begun to put on weight and is moving in all of the right directions to escape the life-threatening effects of malnutrition.

Seva Mandir's CMAM camps are crucial in providing treatment to prevent malnourishment in the heart of villages to children who might not have the chance to seek treatment elsewhere. Urmila's and Sushila's quick thinking coupled with their comprehensive knowledge and ability ensured that Kamla will live to see another day. The nurses are hired and managed by Seva Mandir and are trained by Basic Healthcare Services (BHS), experts in rural healthcare. Their knowledge and compassion to help children are saving lives.

We have been able to do all this only with the support and motivation from well-wishers like you. So a heartfelt thanks goes to you and all our supporters.

Our best wishes to you. Stay safe and keep social distancing.

Thanks & Regards

Atul Lekhra & the Seva Mandir Team

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