The project will cover a total of 10 villages with prime focus on “Bhariya community”. Out of these 10 villages, 7 villages lie in the Patalkot region which has relatively poor access while the remaining 3 villages lie in the upper region.The objectives of the project are as follows;

• Ensure proper implementation of Health and Nutrition Services in the targeted villages
• Create a source of healthy nutrition at the family level
• Create awareness on health and nutrition amongst young girls and women
• Strengthen four community-based organizations to enable them to avail their rights.

Due to the low awareness about nutrition, depleting sources of nutrition in the food basket, poor access to health and nutrition services have resulted in poor nutrition in the Bhariya Community which is getting reflected in the high rates of malnutrition in the region. The key strategies to address the issue of malnutrition in the targeted communities are as follows;

• Formation and strengthening of community-based organization: The project would be focused on forming Self Help Groups of women from the Bhariya Community. These SHGs would be strengthened to understand the issues of malnutrition and demand for their rights and entitlements related to the same. The SHGs would be linked to an already existing federation of SHGs established by the organization to ensure the sustainability of the same. Strengthen village-level committees on health and nutrition by organizing training and capacity-building sessions.
• Capacity building of key stakeholders like women’s and adolescent girls’ groups: In addition to the above, the project would also focus on capacity building of women’s and adolescent girls’ groups in generating awareness about issues related to Malnutrition and ways to address them.
• Sensitization and strengthening of last-mile service providers of key departments: The project will undertake the training of key service providers like the ANM workers, Anganwadi workers, etc from the project villages to ensure proper and timely services to the target communities.
• Liaising with Panchayati Raj Institutions: The project will work closely with the Panchayati raj institutions to monitor services, build capacities and provide support to their interventions. This would be undertaken at all the 3 levels- village, block, and on district level.
• Promotion of Nutrition at the household level: The project will promote home-based sources of nutrition like poultry, vegetables, etc. The models that would be promoted under this would mainly comprise of activities that can be undertaken on small patches of the land near the house.
• Capacity building of project staff and project beneficiaries, viz. project team, women, adolescent girls. Capacity building of staff of concerned departments on efforts to reduce malnourishment. Promote nutrition at the household level. Liaisoning and networking with organizations involved in similar activities, such as:
• Awareness generation and sensitization: Maa Beti Sammelan; Detailed information on health and nutrition will be provided in these sammelan. Which will be organized at the village level. Information will also be provided on POSCO Act. During these sammelan mothers, mothers-in-law and daughters will get an opportunity to talk and share freely their thoughts and feelings with each other.
• Formation of Women SHGs and their link to the federation: A complete structure of SHGs, VLCs, and federation (linkage with the established federation) would be established. For this training visits would be organized in the concept of SHG, VLC, and federation. Systems and procedures would be put in place for their proper functioning. These groups would be sensitized on key issues including health and nutrition and they would be promoted to participate in various PRIs at the village, block, and district level.
• Training of local Institutions: A series of training and sensitization programs would be organized for key institutions; AWW, ANM, AASA, and PRI Member. In addition to this, participation and representation would be done in block and district-level health and nutrition committees.
• Networking/ Liaising with the government departments: In this project we will work closely in the government set up related to health and nutrition. Under this, the following activities would be undertaken; Regular interaction with sector supervisors and block-level officials, Workshops for sharing findings, best practices, and advocacy. Joint monitoring home visits with ANM. AWW, panchayat members, etc. Joint monitoring of the Health and Nutrition Day (Mangal Diwas). Regular interaction with block and district level officials.
• Increasing production of nutritious food at the household level: Under this, a series of activities would be undertaken to supplement/increase the production of nutritious food at the household level. These activities include; Development of 5 layer Vegetable/Horticulture model, backyard Poultry, development of backyard Goatery, Dairy development, Training and inputs on increasing production from Livestock
• Special efforts will be taken to establish backyard Poultry units in 300 households under the project villages.
• Promotion of Adolescent girls groups: Groups of adolescent girls would be formed across the target villages. Regular meetings of these groups would be organized so that they can discuss their issues and solutions. In addition to this, they would be trained in health and nutrition-related issues. A sammelan of these groups would be organized so that girls can interact with others and discuss their issues on a wider platform. This would help in generating greater awareness and response on the key issues.
• Documentation: Documentation of types of edible food from the village neighborhood will be done. Traditional recipes of these foods will be demonstrated by organizing food festivals.

Outcomes of the project from the Phase III:

• Reduce malnourishment in children by 85%. Refer 90% of children under the severely malnourished category will be referred to NRC.
• 90% of Aanganwadi centers to function regularly
• 80% Improvement in services of ANC/PNC and maternity services
• 100% vaccination of children in 0 to 6 years age group
• 90% pregnant women to be covered under the distribution of iron and folic tablets
• 85% improvement in services provided by Anganwadi, Asha, and panchayat workers by ensuring coordination between them

• Cover 300 families for nutrition improvement by strengthening nutrition gardens and animal husbandry activities.

• Nutrition gardens were formed in 210 homes in 10 villages. 10 types of vegetable seeds were provided which included green leafy vegetables, beans, tomato, cucumber, chili, etc. Earlier vegetable consumption was restricted to 2 days a week. Now the families are preparing fresh vegetables in their meals every day. Surplus vegetables are sold to other villagers.
• Efforts are being made to provide fresh vegetables to families all around the year. The use of organic manure and pesticides is being promoted. Ghana jeevamrut, jeevamrut, neem astra, bhram astra are used in the nutrition garden to produce vegetables.
• This monsoon rain shelter was prepared at 29 nutrition gardens. This helped in getting a good yield of vegetables. The yield per tomato sapling was between 10 to 12 Kg!
• The additional yield of vegetables was sold by the women in the village at the rate of Rs. 30 to 40 per kg.
• To promote the consumption of Tur dal, seeds of the traditional variety of Tur were distributed. This seed gives yield twice a year for five years. Balar dal is commonly consumed in the project area.
• To fulfill the protein requirements of children backyard poultry was started in 38 households in the first year and 25 in the second year. Out of which 18 families have severely malnourished children. The age of children is between 3 to 6 years.
• Chicken meat and eggs of the Vanraj breed are being consumed by the families. This has resulted in 7 severely malnourished children improving to grade II.
• 8 Anganwadi centers are operating regularly in 10 villages. Anganwadi workers, Asha workers, and ANM are jointly working in these villages. Women members of Panchayat from five villages are visiting the Anganwadi centers and monitoring the activities.