Our Projects
Nutrition, Hygiene and Health
ASRA-Prachar project: May,2003 to 31st January,2008
The project is funded by Packard Foundation through Pathfinder International and is to empower adolescents to engage in responsible sexual behavior as they enter into adulthood and marriageable age.
Objectives of the project were to:
• Develop and build upon the vision of happy family life.
• Analyse the necessities for the qualitative improvement in their life.
• Identify the causes that affect their decisions regarding family life and sex.
• Express their personal views regarding issues of reproductive health.
• Dispel the myths and misconceptions regarding contraception.
• Realize the importance & value of positive communication.
• Develop the skills to tackle the obstacles in the use of contraceptives.
• Overcome tactfully the obstacles with respect to the prevention and treatment of Reproductive Tract Infections (RTI) and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI).
• To make the participants aware of ways to protect themselves from any form of sexual abuse.
• Get the right skill to achieve our aim.
Beneficiaries: Adolescent Boys- 13919 Adolescent Girls- 13687
Adolescent Health & Hygiene project: July,2006 to December,2006
UNICEF through Women Development Corporation (WDC), Government of Bihar funded the project to provide training on the issues of adolescents’ health and hygiene.
Objectives of the project were to:
• Enhancing the knowledge, skill and attitude of adolescent girls about:
• Changes during adolescence
• Physical growth
• Menstruation
• Prevention from Reproductive Tract Infections, Sexually Transmitted Diseases and HIV/AIDS
• Bringing awareness about right age of marriage and child bearing
• Removal of myths and misconception
• Prevention from anemia
• Bringing awareness about Healthy food habits, Hygiene
• Bringing awareness to prevent them from unhealthy habits such as open defecation, drinking contaminated water, keeping their hands unclean etc.
• Inculcating healthy habits and behavior change by providing them hygiene kit bag to develop healthy habits and hygiene.
• Prevention from falling prey to sexual abuse.
Beneficiaries: 1450 Adolescent School Girls
Breast feeding- With UNICEF & ICDS: 1st to 7th August,2005,06 and 2007
Bringing awareness and counseling about the importance of Breast Feeding and its advantages for the Mother and child of the neglected and underprivileged groups who lack knowledge of these affairs.
Objectives of the project were to:
• Bringing awareness in the community about breastfeeding especially the need of Colostrums feeding.
• Orientation of Pachayat functionaries about breastfeeding.
Beneficiaries: 1005 persons were counselled
Nutrition Campaigning- With UNICEF through State Nutritional Cell: 2005
Providing counseling and awareness and supporting all nutrition related activities. Promoting nutritional well being of society through the impartial interpretation and effective dissemination of scientifically based nutritional knowledge and advice.
Objectives of the project were to:
• To enable the adolescent girls of selected schools and colleges to understand the importance of balanced diet and follow it.
• To enable the adolescent girls of the selected schools and colleges to understand the importance of micronutrients especially Vitamins, Iodine, Iron and include micronutrient rich foods in their diet.
• To impart the skill of identifying and testing of Iodine salts and awareness to use only Iodized salt in future.
Beneficiaries: 817 persons were made aware and counselled
ASRA – Swa Shakti Project – with WDC: 2003-2005
Training of women leaders of SHG was conducted in Muzaffarpur district.
Objectives of the project were to:
• To empower the leaders of the women Self Help Groups in the areas of :-
• Reproductive child health
• Health and hygiene
• Child care and immunization
• HIV/AIDS
Beneficiaries: 650 women leaders of SHG
Pulse Polio-With UNICEF: 2002 to 2004
Awareness campaign was conducted with the help of Sudha dairy project, Bharat Petroleum, Muslim Religious leaders, covering the urban areas and slums of Patna. We also encouraged people to take the polio vaccine on the day it is administered in their local areas.
Objective of the project were :
• Protection of children from Polio.
• Campaign for the eradication of Polio.
Beneficiaries: 1800 people were made aware & counselled.
Brief Overview of our Projects Process
a) ASRA-Prachar Project:
• Formation of Batches of Adolescent boys and girls between the ages of 15-19 years.
• Organised three day training on the above issues.
• Identify the training needs through collecting feedback through a questionnaire and monitoring progress by collecting feedback after the training.
b) DULAR Project:
• Organise a Village Contact Drive (VCD) for the counselling of local persons about DULAR’s strategy.
• Collection of data of new born children, Pregnant women, Lactating mothers and Adolescent girls would be obtained by mapping of village.
• During VCD some local active women are selected as Local Resource Person (One person to monitor 10-15 homes) and are provided training so that they can regularly keep track of the progress of the project and motivate as well counsel the local people.
c) ASRA-Breastfeeding Week Project:
• Conducted rallies of children
• Counselling of lactating mothers
• Organised a number of Nukkad Natak (Street Plays).
d) ASRA-Nutrition Week Project:
• Counselling to bring awareness of nutritious food, Importance of Iodine rich salt.
• Also, conducting painting and slogan-writing activities to spread awareness on above matters.
e) ASRA-WDC Project:
• A two days training is provided on Health, Hygiene, Sexual abuse, and HIV/AIDS, in schools for girls of different blocks of Vaishali district.
• After each training a Personal Hygiene Kit containing Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Tongue cleaner, Comb, Nail cutter, Lifebuoy soap and a Sanitary napkin packet, is distributed to every participant to motivate and practice good personal hygiene.