Mountain Children’s Foundation
Changing the way the world perceives and works with children

Udham Singh Nagar|Workshops

World Day for Prayer and Action

                     Partner Organisation : Naina Gramin Vikas Seva Samiti (NGVSS)
               District: Udham Singh Nagar

                     Supported by :Women’s Coalition Trust

Workshop Report

Nov 16th 2010 –Naina Gramin Vikas Samiti in partnership with the Mountain Children’s Foundation supported by the Women’s Coalition Trust celebrated the World Day for Prayer and Action on the 16th of November 2010 with a one-day workshop in the village of Mudeli. The village is located in the Khatima block in Udham Singh Nagar district at the Nepal border.

Thirty eight participants, representing a cross-section of the community, took part in the workshop. They included about 30 children from the Bal Panchayat (children’s group) as well as adults such as the Pawan Thakur a member of the Congress party; BD Joshi, member of the Khetalsanda BDC; Vir Singh, member India Study Circle; the Mudeli village pradhan (head of the village council) Ram Reshar Singh; Radhika Joshi of the Anganwadi (preschool); Avtar Singh, a former reporter Aaj Tak, Manoj Bhakuni, a primary school teacher and vice president of the  Youth Friends Society; Vinod Chandra Pathak, and the president of the Naina Gramin Vikas Samiti; and Dwarika Nauni from The Mountain Children’s Foundation.

Dwarika Nauni introduced the World Day for Prayer and Action and its year-long focus on issues of hunger, nutrition, and maternal health. He also outlined the present situation of children in India and Uttarakhand vis a vis food security and nutrition and explained that there are still many children in India, and in Udham Singh Nagar, who do not get enough food to eat, resulting in malnutrition that contributes to the high rate of infant and child mortality. He said that it was important that the children understand their rights and work together to prevent malnutrition.

Vinod Chandra Pathak said the education of girls is very important in preventing malnutrition. He also explained the important role of mother’s milk in keeping babies healthy by providing important antibodies that prevent many illnesses.

Dwarika then shared the score card created by the India Alliance of Child Rights -- on Child rights and the current situation of children in India and the state of Uttarakhand, with the participants.

The participants were then divided into 4 groups (adults and children together) and asked to write down what action could and should be taken by them and the government to change the status of hunger, nutrition, and maternal health in their village, with each group focusing on a different question.

Following an animated discussion, each group presented its conclusions to the others:

Group A
Topic: Remove Hunger and Discrimination

• Work toward a more equal distribution of financial support that is given by the government
• Provide opportunity for self-employment  to enable financial stability for the family
• Prevent wastage of food, such as the spoilage of wheat in godowns.
• Improve implementation of MNREGA to provide employment opportunities to the poor.
• Reduce Discrimination
• Create a more educated society
• Dispel superstitions
• Make strong implementable laws to prevent discrimination
• Mothers and Fathers should not discriminate between boys and girls

Group B
Topic: How can we ensure better maternal health?

• An expecting mother should be given good and nutritious food
• An expecting mother should not be made to lift heavy things that would cause distress to her and the child she is carrying
• A pregnant woman should be given and encouraged to take iron tablets
• A pregnant woman and her family should follow the medical advice given
• If a pregnant woman falls ill she should be taken to the hospital quickly.

Group C
Topic: Nutrition

• The mother should provide milk at the right time and in the right amount to the child
• Parents should ensure they immunize their children completely and according to the immunization schedule.
• The community should have full information on nutritional food that is required by both the mother and the child
• The community should have information of local foods and their nutritional value and healthy eating habits:
• People should reduce intake of fried food
• People should consume more fruits and juices
• People should  eat fresh food
• People should eat fruits and vegetables that are in season
• People should ensure cleanliness
• People should have regular medical check ups.

Group D
Topic: Reduce Child Mortality

• Educate women
• Provide proper nutrition for the mother and child
• Provide proper immunization for the child.
• Be knowledgeable and aware of new disease like HIV and AIDS
• Increase community knowledge and awareness of child mortality and its causes.

 
During the general discussion, these were some of the views share by the participants:

Kapil Rana, class 10, said that “we need to be aware, so that we get information on issues of health and education.”
Rajkumar a youth participant said “it is very important for a woman to be educated so that she can learn about better nutrition. It is very important for a woman to be healthy and special care must be taken during her pregnancy.”
Charanjeet said “the community should be given information on health and nutrition from time to time so that our knowledge increases.”
Pradeep said “it is very important to focus on the food we eat. It is also important for us to have regular health check ups.”

The workshop concluded with the following pledge, taken by all the participants:

We will not discriminate on any basis.
We will generate awareness in the community on the basis of the information
we have through cartoons, street plays and any other means possible on these issues.
We will help each child who suffers from hunger.
We will not commit female feticide nor will we allow anyone to commit it.

The Mountain Children's Foundation,63-A Vyom Prasth, G.M.S Road,Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248001, India
Phone: 91-135-6532937 Email: mcfglobal @ mymountains.org