Summary
Samvedana Trust decided to play a key role in the eradication of malnourishment among school children in their region. How they managed to do that, in co-operation with other stakeholders, is the subject of this example.
Problem analysis
Samvedana Trust decided to improve upon the problem of malnourishment. Through their 76 Anganwadis (rural mother and child learning centres) spread within a radius of 30 kilometers, they have been catering to the problem of malnourishment by providing daily nutritive supplements of a perishable nature. The issue of malnourishment is essentially owned up by government and civic bodies, nevertheless Samvedana tried to tackle the issue at their level. The types of resources required for the same could be easily available to the civic bodies but are challenging for an NGO. However, in partnership with the civic bodies such issues can be easily tackled by tapping various facilities like cleanliness, health, etc. for the beneficiaries.
Solution analysis
To arrive at a solution for this problem, the Samvedana team sat together and discussed the issue. The team owned it up enthusiastically and made a solution tree in order to get a systematic solution. Following the Mobilising Support perspective, Samvedana fixed a meeting with the Secretary of IAS - Indian Administrative Services - who is heading the Women & Child Welfare Department. Another meeting was carried out with the Deputy Commissioner of the area’s Municipal Corporation. Both meetings turned out to be fruitful in terms of connecting together to combat malnutrition and Samvedana received substantial financial support from them.
Stakeholder analysis
Which stakeholders (NGO’s, government, private sector) did you identify as allies and how did you involve them?
1. Volunteers, who have served with the organisation. They bring in their friends and family with donations or give time and other resources.
2. Deputy Health Officer, who introduced Samvedana to the Municipal Commissioner.
3. A friend from BNI (Business Network International), a local networking forum, made an appointment with the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare and came along for the meeting.
4. Having been publicly honoured by the Mayor, who attended the launch, Samvedana approached the Deputy Municipal Commissioner and offered to organise summer camps in municipal schools.
5. The Women and Child Welfare Department of Government. Samvedana interacted with the Secretary. Later, her subordinates visited.
6. Women who are employed at Anganwadis by ICDS (150 women).
7. Communities Samvedana reaches out to (leaders, mothers, lactating mothers, pregnant women, adolescent girls, children below the age of 6).
Which stakeholders did you identify as neutral and how did you mobilise them?
How did you involve your beneficiaries in the stakeholder analysis/campaign?
1. Samvedana invited them for the launch of the Sattva drive and subsequent events.
2. Samvedana shared information about any new activity that was taken up and shared pictures with them.
3. Samvedana shared the report about fund utilisation after each drive.
4. At the felicitation function Samvedana had invited its donors and volunteers, who were felicitated by the City Mayor through a testimonial certificate and picture.
5. Samvedana shared the success story of a child, who was malnourished and through their intervention had gained weight and could be operated for his congenital heart disease. His mother expressed her gratitude for saving her child’s life.
6. Samvedana organises summer camps, celebrates birthdays and creates more opportunities for volunteers to connect, give their time and share their strengths with Anganwadi children.
7. Samvedana has monthly meetings with all 150 women working at the grassroots. After each drive, they do a story telling session with them. They tell at least one success story and Samvedana gives incentives based on their success rates of converting malnourished kids into healthy ones.
Short description of the organisation implementing the action/campaign
Samvedana is a registered nonprofit working for the integrated development of slums with a focus on education, nutrition and skill development of socially and economically deprived children, youth and women. Their main projects are in 24 underprivileged communities and rural areas around the city of Ahmedabad, India. Through its different projects, over the past 14 years 225.000 lives have benefitted.
1. The education interventions with underprivileged communities and the merit scholarship project have success stories with placements in air force and hospitals and students pursuing studies in engineering and architecture.
2. Vocational skill initiative for adolescent girls and women. Here, skill training, market linkages and workshops on gender sensitisation are offered. Samvedana aims to reach out to 2.000 women this year.
3. Samvedana manages 76 early learning centres, so-called ‘Anganwadis' under the government’s ICDS project. Samvedana has launched a 100 day drive on 8th June 2016, a fight against malnutrition. Its success could make it a replicable model across the country.
Action period
Start of drives: 8th June & 24 November 2016, 8th March 2017
Objectives
1. Proactively engage with civic bodies having a common shared interest. Thus expand Samvedana's reach to more beneficiaries and other stakeholders.
2. Eradicate malnourishment from children below 6 years, thus preventing infant mortality, slow learners and unproductive citizens.
3. Nation building.
Action results
Samvedana has earned further credibility and has scope of way more resources and opportunities opening up.
62% of the participating children are out of malnourishment. The organsation is now taking up new geographical areas and new beneficiaries.
Sensitising and spreading awareness to different stakeholders, thus creating patriotic citizens.
Description of preparatory activities
1. Made a vision and created a rich picture.
2. Made a Problem tree - Solution tree.
3. Regular meetings with team as well as women at grassroot levels.
4. In the same period Samvedana had meetings with civic body stakeholders. At times just relationship building, at times sharing common interests and sharing ways of approaching the same problem, sharing Samvedana's proposal or reports as necessary, also regularly inviting them for events.
Description of implementation
Samvedana had a drive launched in the grounds of a Government Health facility. They had invited the Mayor for the launch. All women and counsellors were there too. After presenting the detailed plan of execution including the menu, the route, the team and more, guests served a nutritious meal to the malnourished by way of formal launch of the programme.
During the 100 days drives Samvedana had monthly meetings with the women at the Anganwadis. Every fortnight there were counseling sessions with the mothers of the beneficiary children.
Samvedana had a team orientation from their medical experts twice each drive, at the beginning and the end.
Costs
INR 25 is the cost per day for each child participating in the 100 days Sattva drive. Thus the cost per child comes to INR 2.500.
The total cost for the first drive with 706 children amounted to INR 1.765.000.
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation managed funds worth INR 240.000 for two subsequent drives after the first Sattva drive.
Follow up
Samvedana has planned three drives for each zone. Each drive is a 100 day period during which daily nutritive supplements as planned by the medical experts are sent to all 76 Anganwadis. In many cases, the organisation's supervisors have to go to beneficiaries homes.
Every fortnight a counseling meeting takes place with the mothers of the children. An education manual is prepared for the same. Weights of children are taken, grade calculated.
After the first three drives, Samvedana plans to continue with two drives of just counseling with mothers and observing the weight and malnourishment status of the child. This is to check the sustainability of the result after Samvedana stops supplying supplementary food.
