“Nanhe Kadmo Ki Mithi Mahak”

Objective:

  • To ensure access to crèche for children aged 7 months to 3 years, provide safe and nurturing care, support early childhood development, and ensure proper nutrition.
  • Identify underweight, stunted, or weak children and refer them to health facilities for assessment and follow-up to prevent malnutrition.

Description:

In Jhajha block of Jamui district, 14% of infants face life-threatening malnutrition. To address this, 40 crèches have been established in tribal-dominated areas to enhance nutrition and early childhood development for children aged 7 months to 3 years of working mothers.

Key Challenges:

  • Children above six months of age are at risk of malnutrition due to insufficient nutritious food, inadequate care, and discontinued breastfeeding.
  • Limited parental knowledge regarding appropriate child care and dietary practices contributes to malnutrition.
  • Healthy children are vulnerable to malnutrition resulting from illnesses such as diarrhoea, malaria, chickenpox, and poor hygiene conditions.

Key Activities:

  • Select child friendly houses in the community to establish crèches and appoint two trained caregivers per crèche, prioritizing villages with at least 20 children not yet enrolled in the Anganwadi Centre.
  • Prepare the selected houses as child-friendly crèches and ensure their regular
  • Conduct training programs for caregivers and organize periodic review meetings to enhance crèche management and service delivery.
  • Ensure uninterrupted availability of essential resources and materials in all crèches.
  • Provide hygienic and nutritious meals to children three times
  • Monitor the growth and nutritional status of all enrolled children
  • Facilitate referral of severely malnourished children to hospitals through coordination with Anganwadi workers and ASHA personnel, and ensure follow- up care.
  • Provide continuous counselling to parents and caregivers on child health, nutrition, hygiene, and disease prevention.
  • Support children in completing age-appropriate immunizations.

Key Achievements:

  • Successfully trained and deployed 80 crèche caregivers.
  • Established and are currently operating 40 functional crèches.
  • Enrolled 850 children aged 7 months to 3 years, with regular attendance ensured by their caregivers.
  • Children enrolled in crèches have shown improved nutritional status and reduced incidence of common illnesses such as diarrhoea and malaria, while older girls continue their education uninterrupted.
  • Parents are able to engage in livelihood activities for 6–7 hours daily, contributing to improved household financial stability.