A large population of malnourished, hunger-stricken children with high-infant and maternal mortality is found in the Musahar community in Bihar.

The people are suffering from a deluge of problems ranging from diseases, lack of education, lack of hygiene, illness, etc.

Due to lack of information, people of Dera Colony under Gadhiya Baluwa panchayat were ignorant about the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) facilities provided by the Government through Anganwadi centres.

The Anganwadi centre is the backbone of ICDS Project which is supposed to provide nutritional food, vaccination and pre-school education to the children. The Anganwadi worker and helper are the basic functionaries of the ICDS who run the centre and implement the ICDS scheme in coordination with the functionaries of the health, education, rural development and other departments. Their services also include the health and nutrition of pregnant women, nursing mothers, and adolescent girls.

Caritas India Roshni Programme works with children from Mahadalit (Rishidev, Saday and Manjhi) communities to improve access to quality education as per Right to Education (RTE) norms along with improved nutrition through linkages with local health facilities in Bihar.

Women from Mata Samiti (Mother’s collectives) were regularly trained by Roshni programme to inform about provisions, rights, and entitlement under ICDS.

The village Anganwadi centre was running on the private rent room which was not suitable enough for children. The Animator and coordinator of the programme encouraged the Mata Samiti members to raise their demand to have a proper Anganwadi in the Gram Sabha which can cater the needs of all the children in the village.

The petition was submitted to the Gram Sabha which was heard by the Mukhiya Pramand Rishit and he raised the fund from the block to build the Anganwadi centre in the village.

“Though it took long days of wait with a lot of struggles but what encouraged me the extra superlative behaviour of people who supported this cause to have Anganwadi Centre in place,” says the animator.