INDIA: working on the front line
Despite its booming economy, India is the country with the highest number of children dying every year: Lack of education and discrimination against women mean many pregnant women in rural areas don't know how to keep themselves or their babies healthy.
Monday 4 February 2008
Take 22-year-old Gehold. She lives in a small village in Rajasthan, north-west India. The doctor has told Gehold she must drink milk and eat fruit to make the baby she's carrying strong. But Gehold doesn't feel she can ask her in-laws for help.
Gehold says,"I was sent to the doctor with my brother-in-law because he was educated and can deal with the doctor. The doctor told me about eating more fruit when my brother was outside, so I have no witnesses. I don't want to ask my family for fruit. It doesn't seem right for me to demand things of them."
Even more worryingly, Gehold admits, "I've been pregnant for four months now and my tummy is still small. This is good. I don't eat too much on purpose; I won't be able to bend if it gets too big. Then how will I work? The women here say that we should keep our babies small, so that we can keep working."
This necessity to earn a living, coupled with poor awareness of diseases, means many families don't go to a doctor until the last minute. But we've set up a mobile clinic, to encourage families to bring their children forward for treatment.
We're training women in villages to educate their friends about the signs of common childhood illnesses, as well as how they can be prevented and treated. And we've established 13 baby care centres, where babies and young children can receive food to help them grow, and mothers can get general healthcare advice.
Anita helps at a baby care centre in Masoodpura village, Rajasthan. "The main draw is the food we serve here," she says. "Families are poor, and it's good if their children can get something nutritious to eat.
"I tell the mothers to keep their children clean, to bathe them, clean their teeth and comb their hair. We also sing songs and dance and play. The children like it.
"I look after about 14 children in the centre. It's not so hard to do. I know this much - if we keep a baby clean and healthy, then it will grow up to be strong. This is what I tell everyone. And this is what I will do when I have babies."
Baby care centres are a simple but effective way of helping women learn about basic healthcare and break down cultural taboos. In Rajasthan, the government has already agreed to take over the running of four centres, which means they can carry on saving children's lives long after our project ends.
Interviews by Madhuri Dass, Regional Communications Officer in Delhi.
