Healthy Babies: A Case Study from Sarona

Healthy babies: Sarona is a large, scattered village with a population of 400 people in the Bandalghati area in Dehradun. The main road to Sarona is a dirt track. Sarona has a primary school, a high school and a kindergarten. Forty children are registered in the Sarona Anganwadi but very few actually attend it because the hamlets are scattered and the pathway to the main Sarona village is through a jungle full of wild animals like leopards and bears. It is a dangerous and treacherous road to our Kindergarten (Anganwadi).  Just like the children’s groups, the MCF has also created ‘Mother’s Groups’ or Mata Samitis so that mothers could gather to exchange news and information (and make friends!)  Over the year the MCF helpers reached out to the members of the Mata Samitis (Mother’s Groups) and discussed the clear benefits of the Anagnwadis for their children, and the mother’s own role in making the Anganwadis more vibrant, more relevant and more critical for the development of their children. The campaign of education and building trust worked: this year at a ‘healthy baby’ event,  more children participated than ever before, and families who lived far away  also attended. Because they formed a group, they booked a car and came in by road.  The mothers and the children are experiencing the benefits of being together. And now, they are all discussing the need for finding a safe, alternative route to their Anganwadis or considering how to continue the good work closer to home without interfering with the animals, their neighbours.