Anganwadi programme is a part of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). It is an initiative of the Government of India focussed on early child care and mother care. Anganwadi centres cater to services that provides holistic care of pregnant women, lactating mothers, and 0 to 6 years children. The Anganwadi Centres act as a platform for effective governance and effective delivery of its six main services i.e. supplementary nutrition; pre-school non-formal education; nutrition and health education; immunization; health check-up; and referral services. The Anganwadi programme is an endeavour to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health – two of the eight UN Millennium Development Goals. Reportedly, there are 14-lakh approved Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) and 7,076 ICDS Projects across the country (Source: Government press release, 7 February 2014).
Anganwadi centres provide basic healthcare such as contraceptive counselling and supply, nutrition education and supplementation, as well as pre-school activities. The Anganwadi centres allows for focussed intervention to achieve the objectives of the ICDS i.e.:
I. Improvement of nutritional and health status of children in the age-group 0-6 years;
II. Laying foundation for proper psychological, physical and social development children;
III. Reducing incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition and school dropout;
IV. Achieving effective co-ordination of policy and implementation amongst the various departments to promote child development; and
V. Enhancing capability of mothers to look after the normal health and nutritional needs of their children through proper nutrition and health education.
Role of NGOs in furthering Anganwadi programme
Cognisant of the crucial need of this initiative, several NGOs have come forward to support and accelerate government’s efforts in providing proper child and mother care. These NGOs support the Anganwadi programme in various parameters; among them is The Akshaya Patra Foundation. The core of this NGO is the Mid-Day Meal Programme which it has been implementing since 2000. Under this programme, Akshaya Patra supports daily mid-day meals of more than 17.6 lakh children studying in Government schools and Government-aided schools situated in 42 locations across 12 states.
Over the years of operating as a mid-day meal NGO, Akshaya Patra inferred the need to take care of nutrition right from the early developmental stage aside from providing wholesome meals to school children. This resulted in Akshaya Patra making its way towards Anganwadi centres.
Support Anganwadi programme
It is well-understood that nutrition is an important component for health and fitness; and its role become even more significant during the early growth and developmental phases of a child. Proper nutrition and care can effectively and sustainably counter malnutrition, under-5 mortality rate, underweight, stunting, and other chronic diseases affecting children. Well-nourished children attain age-appropriate physical, cognitive, social developmental milestones compared to nutrition-deficient children. Akshaya Patra is all set to boost its Anganwadi feeding programme along with its core Mid-Day Meal Programme.
Your support is an extreme necessity. Gift a healthy start to life instantly, by choosing to donate online in support of Akshaya Patra’s Anganwadi feeding programme. Your contribution will pave way for a healthy childhood and a healthy India.
Author Profile:
The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an Indian NGO implementing the Mid-Day Meal Programme as its core cause. Aside from this, it also undertaken Anganwadi feeding programme to provide needed nutrition for healthy growth and development of children during their formative years.