It is common for women of marginalized communities to go out to work to support their family. However, this often leads to kids being neglected and they end up suffering from malnutrition. Manthan planned to resolve these issues by setting up 25 Balwadi centres since 1983 with the help of Barefoot College, Tilonia. In 2018-2019, 8 Balwadi centres across 8 villages have taken care of 174 children by feeding them regularly and taking care of their health.
Manthan has always believed in the saying “A Healthy Child becomes a Healthy Citizen” and hence, has undertaken several initiatives to tackle multiple issues on this front. The most prevalent issues that have been taken care of are-
- Health and hygiene of children
- Nutrition intake
- Regular health check-ups for children
- Timely vaccinations
- Reduction in Infant Mortality Rates (IMR)
- Discussions with pregnant women and mothers
- Preparing children for primary education
- Engaging girls who accompany children to Balwadi centres into education
- Admission of students to primary school
- Regular meetings and trainings for care givers
