Getting a healthy start to life is one of the most important contributors to being able to reach one’s full potential as an adult. These early years of childhood form the basis of intelligence, personality, and social behaviour. However children are often unable to reach their full potential because of inadequate nutrition.
Even today, in communities not so far from us, malnourishment is widespread and starvation deaths are not unheard of. Maharashtra in fact has one of the highest rates of undernourishment amongst children in the country with nearly half of all deaths of children under the age of 5 being on account of malnutrition.
In order to combat this, United Way Mumbai’s Project Poshan works to provide systematic interventions in the area in collaboration with the Integrated Child Development Scheme set up by the government. This has been achieved not just through nutritional supplements but also by facilitating community based solutions involving anganwadi sevikas, parents, lactating mothers and pregnant women.
Over the past year, Project Poshan worked with 3000+ undernourished children, 65% of whom were undernourished in 380 anganwadis to ensure they have a healthier start and a better chance of survival
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