Delhi NCR has the highest percentage of the urban population in the country, with 15.3% living below the poverty line. The continuous influx of migrants from all corners of the country has mushroomed several urban poor settlements. As per the Economic Survey of Delhi, these areas are home to almost half of the total population of Delhi.
These residents lack access to most of the basic public amenities essential for a decent living. Compared to other states, Delhi has a well-developed health infrastructure. However, to cater to a vast population, the public health service delivery system alone becomes insufficient. From increasing Neonatal, Infant, and Child Mortality rates to the low nutritional status of women and children, degrading maternal health, and the spread of preventable and vector-borne diseases, the overall health condition of the poor in Delhi is grim and demands attention.
The lack of access to safe water and toilet facilities in many of the slum clusters has further increased the vulnerability of the urban population to diseases. Beyond these, the absence of health-seeking behavior among the people adds to the risks of sickness, deaths, lower worker productivity, lower enrollment of children in schools, and retention rates.
Key activities of Sukarya's Urban Slum Health Action program:
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Ayesha, 21, lives in the Naalapar Urban slum pocket of Delhi with her husband, Naushad, who works as a tailor in a boutique. His earnings are not enough for their normal day-to-day living. Into her second pregnancy, Ayesha also suffered from poor nutrition, anemia, and weakness. She was scared as her first child-birth, a home delivery, was not free of complications.
It was a coincidence that she was connected with the maternal-child health & nutrition (MCHN) clinic of Sukarya through one of her neighbors. She was diagnosed as anemic and as a high-risk case for delivery. She received medication, nutrition food supplements, and counseling. She was continuously provided with home visits, follow-ups, and counseling support by the community health workers of Sukarya. She was also able to attend the monthly MCHN clinic.
The intensive care and support led to an improved health condition for Ayesha and her delivery was facilitated at the government hospital. And she delivered a healthy baby boy.
Post-delivery she made regular visits to the clinic and received postnatal care services for herself and her baby. She was guided and counseled for baby care, child immunization, and exclusive breastfeeding for her baby up till 6 months and supplementary feeding after it.
Ayesha is satisfied and thankful for the comprehensive health package that Sukarya has provided to her. There are many more Ayesha-like women who live in miserable conditions without proper access to maternal-child health care and services. There is a need for continuous support and services to ensure safe motherhood to prevent and control Maternal and Child mortality and morbidity.
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Story of Seema
The Covid-19 pandemic impacted everyone, but the marginalized population received the maximum brunt. Besides the real threat of life due to the deadly virus, they also faced poverty and hunger.
Seema, 30, lives in a slum pocket of Sonia Gandhi Camp, Delhi. Though poor, she somehow managed to live with her husband and one child in a small, rented house. Her husband worked as a laborer, and she used to be at home as she was pregnant. Her husband lost his job in the pandemic, and the entire family crumbled into hunger and starvation.
Having a better healthy diet and nutrition supplements became a challenge for Seema, especially when even the daily basic meals were complicated for them to arrange. The family was on the brink of collapse when the Sukarya team intervened.
On a regular follow-up visit, Sukarya’s Community health worker registered her into the program. Seema received the required antenatal care supports and services with food ration packs and nutrition supplements, which served as the lifeline for her family.
The continued antenatal care services and food supports from Sukarya rescued Seema from any possible risks during childbirth, and she delivered a baby at the end who was underweight. The Team Sukarya continuously extended the required services to the mother and child to better the situation. The mental health counseling from the team enabled her to cope with adverse life situations.
Seema and her family have expressed their sincere gratitude to the Sukarya and donors for saving their lives.
Urban Slum Health Action Program, Delhi
Progress Report – July 20 to October 20, 2021
During the reporting period project has achieved substantial progress. A total of 3010 targeted beneficiaries have been served through the Health Clinics, Medicine, pack of dry rations, and Nutritional Supplement distribution Camps, Counselling, Health Awareness Sessions, and Routine Immunizations.
Our team is constantly making efforts to recover the lost progress made in maternal-child health indicators during the peak of COVID-19 lockdowns due to the service interruption. The marginalized communities living in urban slums faced massive challenges of survival. Food security has become the major issue of concern. Most of the people remained jobless and there is no other means of livelihood.
Number of Health clinics organized - 5
Patients treated - 276
Medicine and Nutrition supplement distribution camps organized - 4
Beneficiaries received services - 100
Antenatal care services provided - 132
Postnatal care services provided - 60
Children [0-5 yrs.] attended - 91
Reproductive-aged Women [15 -49 yrs. ] attended - 93
Health awareness sessions organized on Maternal child health care - 12
Targeted people attended - 260
COVID awareness sessions conducted - 12
Beneficiaries attended - 269
People received counseling services - 274
Home visits and follow-ups by the Community health workers - 1362
Routine immunization sessions attended by community health workers - 40
Women and children got immunized - 469
Coordination meetings conducted with the government frontline workers and community stakeholders - 15
Beneficiaries received Nutrition food supplements - 180
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This is the story of Daulati, newlywed, 20, and a resident of Sonia Gandhi Camp in Delhi.
It was in the middle of the pandemic and despite all restrictions on movements due to the lockdown, the team Sukarya had been ensuring uninterrupted services to the targeted beneficiaries in the slum communities surrounding Delhi. The Community Health Worker (CHW) of Sukarya came across Daulati and her husband in one of her MCHN rounds. Daulati was in her first pregnancy and was very much concerned about herself and the baby she was carrying. She was very anxious, frustrated, and scared due to COVID. She was immediately registered by the CHW and provided with required health services that included counseling, ante-natal checkups, IFA tablets, and facilitation of TT vaccination. Further, Daulati also took part in Sukarya’s regular online health sessions and nutrition classes held by the experts for safe motherhood and institutional delivery at the hospital. She delivered a healthy baby boy and currently, she is under the supervision and care of CHW. All the required post-natal care services are being provided to her by team Sukarya. The team also motivated her husband to get involved in the process. A series of follow-up counseling sessions were provided to her husband to make him aware of mother-child health care. Now mother and baby both appeared healthy and fine. Daulati has also received a dry ration food pack, hygiene kits, and nutrition supplements from Sukarya under its COVID relief support campaign. Daulati is sincerely thankful for Sukarya’s continuous support and guidance during her pregnancy, especially during the CODIV-19 pandemic.
The ongoing pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have severely disrupted the smooth execution of our project activities. However, Sukarya has developed adaptive strategies to meet the project objectives by going virtual for many of our awareness sessions and training.
During the reporting period, 1542 targeted women and children participated in the health clinics, health awareness sessions, Covid 19 awareness sessions, routine immunization and promotion of Covid19 vaccinations, antenatal check-ups, postnatal check-ups, routine immunization, intake of IFA supplements, nutrition supplements, and facilitation of institutional delivery. Despite all challenges, our community health workers were involved aggressively through regular home visits and follow-ups for the targeted beneficiaries to ensure maternal-child health care was delivered in their respective location areas. The online counseling sessions and group sessions have also been initiated to ensure and promote better maternal child health behavior and practices in the community.
To address the humanitarian crisis of the Pandemic, Sukarya has taken initiatives to distribute the dry rations, food, and hygiene kits for the beneficiaries in all the project locations.
The Progress Data
(Mid-March – Mid-June 2021)
Health clinic organized - 4
Patients benefited through Health clinic, Medicine & Nutrition supplement distribution camp - 220
Patients received counseling services - 509
Health awareness sessions organized - 12
People reached out through health awareness sessions - 216
Awareness sessions organized on Covid 19 - 15
People participated in Covid awareness sessions - 237
Home visits done by the CHWs - 239
No.of Child Immunization facilitated - 360
Training and capacity building sessions organized - 03
Meetings held with government health and ICDS workers - 15
Meetings organized with community stakeholders - 05
Distribution of dry ration food, hygiene, and nutrition supplement kits:
100 units of food packs
100 units of hygiene kits
100 units of nutrition supplement kits were distributed.
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Geeta, 28, a mother of three, lives in Sonia Gandhi Camp slum of Delhi. One of Sukarya's community health workers met with her when she was pregnant with her twins. The COVID19 pandemic was at its peak, and there was a lockdown in the whole country. Geeta was under depression as her husband was not supportive at all during her pregnancy. She shared all her worries and concerns with Sukarya’s CHW. Because of the lockdown, Sukarya’s in-person counseling services had halted, but she was immediately enrolled for virtual counseling. The repetitive counseling sessions enhanced her level of confidence, knowledge, and awareness about antenatal care. Once lockdown was lifted, she was provided with regular health checkups, antenatal checkups, medicine, and nutritional supplements through the Sukarya Health team. Additionally, CHW had regularly visited her and provided counseling support to her ensuring safe motherhood. Her husband was also involved and counseled on his part of responsibilities. Finally, Geeta gave birth to twin babies (a daughter & a son). Both were healthy, receiving regular post-natal care services at Sukarya's health clinic. Geeta is thankful for Sukarya’s continuous support and guidance during her pregnancy period, even during the CODIV-19 pandemic.
Progress Report – From 20th November 2020 to 20th February 2021
During the reporting period, the project has seen substantial progress in delivering the required services as per the set indicators despite COVID19 challenges, successfully addressing the maternal-child health and nutrition issues, and delivering the routine services to the targeted beneficiaries.
No. of Health Clinics organized - 14
Total Beneficiaries-847; Total no. of Ante Natal Care -225; Total no. of Post Natal Care -141
Total no. of Children-238; Total no of women (15 to 49 yrs.)-243
Counseling services
Total 498 beneficiaries received counseling services, Total of 14 Health Awareness Sessions organized
353 Participants got benefited,
Topics of the sessions:
1. Anemia; Symptoms, Preventions & Cure
2. Importance of Nutritious Food & Balance Diet
3. Importance of Institutional Delivery
4.Importance of Breast Feeding
Training & Capacity building sessions done for Community Health Workers.
Total 4 Training & Capacity Building sessions organized on
1. Training on how to conduct Health Awareness Session on Anaemia; Symptoms, Preventions & cure Cure 2. Training on How to conduct the Health Awareness Session on Importance of Nutritious Food & Balance Diet
3. Training on How to conduct the Health Awareness Session on Importance of Institutional Delivery
4. Training on How to conduct the Health Awareness Session on Importance of Breast Feeding.
Sanitation Drive
4 Sanitation campaigns were organized, and 129 people were involved in them.
Home Visits/Follow-up done by the Community Health Workers (CHWs):
The CHWs did a total of 1,597 Home visits/Follow-up visits.
Routine Immunization Sessions attended by CHWs.
Immunizations are done in all area locations.
ANC attended by the CHWs
No. of Meetings held with Govt. Health, ICDS, and other related departments.
Total 28 meetings were conducted with ASHAs & ICDS workers in the project areas.
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