“Good Nutrition allows children to survive, grow, develop, learn, play, participate and contribute while malnutrition robs children of their future and leaves young lives hanging in the balance”.

Adequate nutrition is essential for human development. Malnutrition includes both undernutrition as well as over-nutrition and refers to deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in the intake of energy, protein and other nutrients. Benefits of good health are perceived not only at the individual level but also at the level of society and country-level as well.

India is home to 46.6 million stunted children and 25.5 million are wasted, a third of the world’s total as per the global nutrition report 2018. Nearly half of all under-5 child mortality in India is characteristic of undernutrition. Poor nutrition in the first 1000 days of a child’s life can also lead to stunted growth, which is associated with impaired cognitive ability and reduced school and work performance. Malnutrition in children occurs as a complex interplay among various factors like poverty, maternal health illiteracy, diseases like diarrhoea, home environment, dietary practices, had washing and other hygiene practices etc. Low birth weight, episode of diarrhoea within the last 6 months and the presence of developmental delay are often associated with malnutrition in most developing nations including India.

Elisha, one-year-old daughter of Jagat Pusaam & Meeta Pusaam, resident of Ghota village of Mandla district in Madhya Pradesh was suffering from severe malnutrition. She was identified under the joint effort of local SAFBIN team and Anganwadi worker during the community-level training and sensitisation program. During verification, she was identified with special attention and immediately referred and got admitted in the district Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) with the help of the local team. She along with her parents received proper guidance and treatment for two weeks.

Recalling that terrible scenario, considering her poor financial status and their engagement as waged labour which was the only means of support to feed her family, Meeta was hopeless when she understood her baby’s health condition. Elisha was only 6.6kg and 70.5cm in height which was directly indicating that she needed immediate attention, but her parents were unaware about the upcoming loss. On joint counselling by the SAFBIN local team and Anganwadi worker about the long-term effects and causes of malnutrition, they convinced to refer their daughter to NRC for better treatment.

“We are so grateful for the training and sensitisation workshops organised by SAFBIN team. This has helped in a great way to go for the immediate treatment of our child which is available free of cost at NRC,” Meeta Said.

In the initial days, she was so weak and not able to eat properly. She often falls sick. But due to limited knowledge and unaware of the cause and effect of malnutrition and busy with their daily earnings to feed themselves, Elisha’s parents could not understand the exact reason for it. On 07/11/2019 Elisha got extremely serious and didn’t even respond. With the help of local Anganwadi and village resource person, she was taken to Ghota hospital and thereafter further referred to district NCR on 09/11/2019. Till then, she was being under observation by local VRP, Anganwadi worker and NRC representative. SAFBIN Mandla team took the effort to organise joint awareness program on maternal and child health nutrition in coordination with local Anganwadi and NRC once in a quarter to render necessary technical support and awareness for better care management.

To support Elisha’s family in line with the guidance provided by local NRC to have balanced diet with more green and fresh vegetables, Smallholder Adaptive Farming and Bio-diversity Network (SAFBIN) with the help of Jabalpur Diocesan Social Service Societies (JDSSS) Mandla took the efforts and provided input support for a homestead nutritional garden at their backyard to ensure the required food items at their arm length.

“I extend my humble gratitude to all who stand by us during our difficult times. Thank you for the support to develop a small nutrition garden. Elisha is doing well and has gained her health. Now she is 9.7kg and 78cm tall,” Says Jagar Pussan, Father of Elisha.