Kalika gram panchayat in Jaleswar block, adopted by Baleswar MP RK Jena under the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, has recently seen significant development in the health vertical.
A group, Swaniti team, led by Utkarsha Bhardwaj, has been working to ensure holistic development in Kalika, a tribals-dominated village in Jaleswar block, and things have changed for the better.
This ranges from improving the infrastructure in the form of newly constructed permanent building for the Anganwadi Centres in the GP to leveraging the existing institutional mechanisms such as Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) to address malnutrition issues among the affected children.
Until May 2016, only three out of 10 Anganwadis in Kalika had a permanent building while the others functioned either out of their home or community club. This lack of infrastructure adversely impacted the health of more than 1,000 children and women in the village, including adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating mothers.
To ensure better maternal and child healthcare services to the population, the team has been working closely with different stakeholders at the grass-root level such as the Anganwadi workers, ASHA workers and Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM), women and children in the village to identify the gaps for the last six months.
Post this, the plan of action was drawn up and the on ground Swaniti associate, Subham Chirania chalked out strategies coordinating with the district administration, block level Government functionaries and also roping in corporates to implement the prepared plan of action.