HEALTH AND NUTRITION

SAFE & SECURE INFANT & YOUNG CHILDREN

The project ‘Safe & secure infant & young children’ is for the children (aged 0-5 years) who are inhabited in the operating area of VOICE to ensure that they are living in a safe & a secured environment.

Sri Lanka has made impressive gains in improving the health and nutritional status of its population over the past few years. However, regional disparities still exist in terms of quality of outcomes and services. The VOICE has identified the following issues raised in the particular

DSDS:
  • High prevalence of underweight children
  • Children do not reach the age-appropriate milestones/stimulation
  • Insecure home environment for infants & young children
  • Parents/guardians & pre-school teachers are less attentive to frequent illness (Orel health issues) of the toddlers
  • Lack of steady household income

A child’s health plays a key role in developing a child mentally and physically, and poor health can impair a child’s ability to fulfill their capabilities. A child that suffers from illness and when their health is not able to develop their maximum capacity and in turn when a child becomes vulnerable to perpetuating, the same disadvantages in the next stage of their life cycle as well as in the future generation could occur

VOICE IN ACTION:

In accordance with the current programs of Safe & secure infant & young children, VOICE works on the issues that took place in the selected vulnerable communities

1. Provide Essential health and nutrition services especially for malnourished children and pregnant mothers with low weight.

The VOICE made attempts to improve nutritional status of infant & young children in collaboration with the Health departments. Furthermore they have conducted educational sessions for the parents/guardians of the malnourished children on nutritious food preparation using locally available foods, hygiene, sanitation, management of illnesses that could result in the malnutrition, among others. A number of 16 pregnant mothers were selected who had low pregnancy weight. Awareness sessions were held for the mothers on the importance of gaining weight during the pregnancy period by identifying the root causes for the issue.in following those sessions, nutrition counseling was given for needy mothers. In addition, nutrition food packs were distributed among the pregnant mothers under supervision of health administrative staff.

2. Improve access to livelihood security to Parents/ caregivers

The VOICE has conducted an awareness program for the parents and caregivers about livelihood security to ensure the access to a safety livelihood. The established micro or small enterprises expanded by women and men were encouraged and rewarded

3. Parental education on home based child care & development

Parental education which has promoted pertaining to the primary health habits and practices, child stimulation, improving home base educational environment and Child Development are significant activities carried out by VOICE this year. This opportunity has provided an induction of project towards all the health administrative staff at divisional level. Together with the cooperation with the MOH officers were conducted in order to identify practical strategies to lead parents in terms of health development initiatives at community.

4. Improved the home based EDC for parents and care givers.

With the support of Ministry of Child Development and experts on home based care, a curriculum on home based ECD would be developed. And trained lead parents & parents/care givers on home based ECD practices also would support throughout this process. As a result the Lead Parents would develop a common criteria to select best home and priority will be given to the families who used locally available material to design their inside and outside environment. Parents/care givers will be assisted to produce items from locally available materials. Furthermore, child learning materials will be provided which are not locally available.

5. Raised the standard of center based ECD practices by improving ECD Teachers and other care givers.

Preschool teachers and early childhood development officers were trained on residential training on ECD. 8 pre-schools out of the 58 preschools supported by VOICE in Karuwalagaswewa, Mundel and Anamaduwa Divisional Secretariat Divisions. Those 8 pre schools were renovated as planned and minimum requirements of ECD center facilities were established ensuring quality of center-based early childhood development. And Materials support was extended to 2 preschools to renovate outdoor play area where totally 80 children attended and 36 out of them were enrolled children.