Advancing technology to improve quality of nutrition services through Supportive Supervision, Uttar Pradesh, India | |
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As a part of the month-long celebration of nutrition norms in India, POSHAN Maah (National Nutrition Month), in September, Shri Yogi Adityanath, Honorable Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, launched the Sahyog App, a mobile-based application to streamline and strengthen Supportive Supervision for Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) functionaries for improved nutrition service delivery and beneficiary experience. The app was developed by the Department of Women and Child Development (DWCD) with technical assistance from Alive & Thrive in collaboration with UNICEF, Uttar Pradesh Technical Support Unit (UP-TSU). The mobile app will be used by the supervisors of the ICDS department while making Supportive Supervision visits.
The occasion was graced by other dignitaries including the Minister of DWCD Smt. Baby Rani Maurya, State Minister DWCD Smt. Pratibha Shukla, Chief Secretary Government of Uttar Pradesh Shri Durga Prasad Mishra Indian Administrative Services (IAS), Secretary-DWCD Mrs. Anamika Singh IAS and Director-ICDS Shri Kapil Singh, IAS. More than 400 Anganwadi Workers and Mukhya Sevikas, senior officials from the Directorate of ICDS Directorate, DWCD Secretariat, and Development Partners also attended the event.
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Rolling out a Supportive Supervision Solution in Uttar Pradesh, India | |
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As a part of concerted efforts to improve the quality of nutrition services, the Government of Uttar Pradesh rolled out a supportive supervision training package for ICDS functionaries in partnership with Alive & Thrive, Uttar Pradesh-Technical Support Unit (UP-TSU), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF India, World Vision India, and Piramal Swasthya. The training of trainers (ToT) for the ICDS functionaries was inaugurated by the Honourable Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Baby Rani Maurya in Lucknow on 6 September 2022. One Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) per district and divisional/district level representatives of development partners including UNICEF, Piramal Foundation, HCL Foundation, and World Vision India were selected as the master trainers. Alive & Thrive is mandated to support the government in rolling out the state-level ToT of Master Trainers and UPTSU to support the district-level training. The training manual for Master Trainers and reference book for CDPO and Mukhya Sevika was launched during the event.
With the rollout of the supportive supervision solution, Uttar Pradesh is one step closer to improving the nutritional outcome for women and children in the state!
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Alive & Thrive collaborated with Directorate of ICDS in a webinar series during POSHAN Maah 2022, Bihar, India
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To mark the celebration of POSHAN Maah in September, the Directorate of Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), Bihar organized a week-long webinar for the District Programme Officer (DPO), Child Development Project Officer (CDPO), Lady Supervisor, and Anganwadi Workers on the strengthening of ICDS services. Alive & Thrive opened the webinar with sessions on the significance of breastfeeding and importance of the Indian Milk Substitute (IMS) Act, complemented by stop bottle feeding messages and followed by a question-and-answer session. Participants were particularly interested in the IMS Act, asking whether the act is applicable in the private sector, what steps should be taken if a violation is identified, and what can be done to raise awareness of the act among officials. The webinar was joined by 700 participants. | |
POSHAN Maah celebrations in Bihar, India | |
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POSHAN Maah was celebrated very actively in Bihar. Alive & Thrive supported the Directorate of ICDS in rolling out the activities both at the state and district level (three Alive & Thrive districts - Gaya, Muzaffarpur, and Sitarmarhi).
POSHAN Maah was inaugurated in select Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) of each block, with representation from multiple stakeholders. The activities focused on counseling sessions on breastfeeding, complementary feeding, growth monitoring, and sessions on the importance of hand washing, with demonstrations.
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Although community-based events (CBEs) such as Godbharai (Indian Babyshower) were organized every month in the AWCs, during this month greater focus was placed on maternal nutrition, including the importance of Iron-Folic Acid and iron- and calcium-rich food. The demonstration of food was carried out in the AWCs, along with counseling on maternal nutrition and gestational weight gain. Events like Annaprashan – the day of introduction of complementary food at the completion of 6 months – are also celebrated with a focus on the right way to introduce complementary feeding and counseling for the mothers of children 6-9 months and family members on feeding infants the right foods in the right amounts. Other outreach activities, including an oath-taking ceremony, were held among the AWWs on cleanliness, nutrition, education, and health-related awareness, to motivate and build ownership of their actions. Awareness rallies on nutrition were organized in every block with slogans and posters designed by AWWs and children.
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ICDS functionaries of Surat District show the way for
joint problem solving, Gujarat, India
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Leading from the front, Dakshaben Tabiyar, District Program Officer (DPO) of Surat District in Gujarat, helped her supervisees to resolve infrastructure issues at the Anganwadi centers and worked along with the Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) of Mangarol block and Lady Supervisor of Nani Naroli sector to resolve issues observed during supportive supervision (SS) visits in the field. She used the SS App for making observations and debriefing sessions.
Anganwadi Centres are entrusted with the growth monitoring of under-five children – and the centres need to be adequately equipped. With a broken stadiometer at her centre, one of the Anganwadi workers in the sector was unable to provide all the services required for ensuring the age-appropriate growth of children as per the standard benchmarks. Dakshaben, along with the CDPO, also observed knowledge gaps among Anganwadi workers on techniques for measuring the height and weight of children. The DPO immediately took action to repair the stadiometer. She also instructed the functionaries present to make decisions on such issues with low-cost implications and resolve them immediately to prevent discontinuity in the proper care of children coming to the centres. The DPO also organized a practical session for the workers to demonstrate the right technique for measuring the height and weight of children.
During a visit to another Anganwadi centre in the district, Dakshaben demonstrated the right techniques for counseling and messages to be given to pregnant women. Post-visit, the DPO held a meeting with the CDPO, all the Lady Supervisors, and the National Nutrition Mission staff in the area. She discussed observations from the field and ways to improve the functioning of the centres. She had a debrief session and advised the CDPOs to conduct short capsule training with Lady Supervisors and Anganwadi workers for building their capacity in technical aspects, knowledge of complete and correct messages during counseling, and soft skills.
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Key national level events during POSHAN Maah
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Webinar on First 1000 Days of Life: Importance and opportunities by Anuvaad Solutions and NCPCR
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Anuvaad Solutions and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), hosted a webinar on “First 1000 Days of Life: Importance and opportunities” on 30 September.
Dr. Sebanti Ghosh from Alive & Thrive participated as a key panelist in the interactive discussion, which focused on the importance of the First 1000 Days of Life and the holistic well-being of women and children. The webinar was joined by NCPCR Chairperson, Mr. Priyank Kanoongo, and other experts and practitioners. During the discussion Dr. Ghosh emphasized the importance of healthy diets for pregnant women, key nutrients mothers should include in their diet during pregnancy, and common sources of those nutrients which are easily available in Indian households. She also emphasized the importance of complementary feeding (CF) and timely introduction of CF. Breastfeeding should continue, she noted, through the first 1,000 days of life.
To watch, click here: https://fb.watch/f-t511OFYP/
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POSHAN Panchayat: National Conference on Nutrition by SHARP NGO | |
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As part of the month-long POSHAN Maah campaign, SHARP NGO organized a panel discussion and awareness event Poshan Panchayat 2022 to bring together national-level nutrition stakeholders. The discussion aimed to identify the need for nutritional awareness and healthy eating, highlight innovative ideas, and celebrate good practices in nutrition.
Noveena Swapnabh from Alive & Thrive was invited as a panelist and moderator for two-panel discussions on varied topics including “Understanding the solution to curb malnutrition under the concept of Poshan Panchayat” and “Role of various key stakeholders like CSR, Government, NGOs, Research bodies, etc., on providing key solutions to reduce the prevalence of malnutrition.” The discussions were joined by dignitaries from NITI Aayog, the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Public Health Foundation of India, and CSR organizations.
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Roundtable on strategies to augment POSHAN Abhiyaan and role of development partners in India | |
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To mark National Nutrition Month (Rashtriya POSHAN Maah) and to strengthen nutrition interventions in Aspirational Districts in India, NITI Aayog, and Save the Children, India, jointly organized a roundtable discussion on 30 September 2022.
Alive & Thrive joined the panel to discuss strengthening the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) System and current challenges to action. In the course of the discussion, Priyanka Bajaj, Alive & Thrive Nutrition Specialist, presented the supportive supervision solution (mobile based applications) as an innovation to strengthen the ICDS functionaries and improve the quality of nutrition services in Gujarat. Several dignitaries participated in the discussion, including representatives from NITI Aayog, and from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Department of Women and Child Development from the states of Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. Development partners also joined the discussion, including the United Nations World Food Programme, RTI India, World Vision, UNICEF, Nutrition International, Piramal Swasthya, and Alive & Thrive.
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