December, 2019 / / ISSUE NUMBER-03/2019

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ANSHika SamacharANSH moves towards improving WASH

Celebration of the Global Handwashing Day on 15th October, 2019

Global Handwashing Day is an annual global advocacy

day dedicated to promoting good handwashing practices as an easy, effective, and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives. This year’s theme follows the push to leave no one behind in the Sustainable Development Agenda. Inequalities in handwashing facilities and effective handwashing promotion programs can put individuals at higher risk for diseases that impact their health, education, and economic outcomes. ANSH Project team organized events with the communities of the four project areas and reached out to 500 community members along with frontline workers and PRI members. A competition on proper hand washing steps was organized among the community members and winners were awarded. ANSH team encouraged the participants towards best practice and the participants took pledge to follow proper hand washing to ensure good health and hygiene for them and others as well.

Wall painting on Handwashing steps & Good hygiene practices ANSH project supported wall paintings with key messages on good handwashing & hygiene practices among school going adolescents and teachers.

On the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, ANSH project conducted a “Plastic Free Campaign” in the project geography and sensitized PRI members, school teachers, adolescents and community members towards avoidance of single use plastic. The team organized a sanitation drive to collect and dispose discarded plastic appropriately. Awareness rallies were also organized to make the community aware of bad effects of plastic and spread the message to community members about cleaning their homes & surrounding on regular basis.

Assessment of water quality at schools and AWCs

Towards ensuring that children in the intervention area drink safe water, ANSH project launched a drive to test the water quality in all its intervention schools and AWCs. The team collected water samples from all water sources in the compound of 37 schools and 35 Anganwadi Centres. These were sent to Government water testing labs.

Some water sources were found to be

contaminated. Upon receiving the water quality testing report, the same was shared with the school administration and ICDS officials. The schools in turn have submitted written concerns to the Block Education Officer & Panchayat secretory. Project teams are exploring alternate safe water sources in the contaminated areas.

Celebration of the World Toilet Day on 19th November, 2019 World Toilet Day, celebrated on 19th November every year, is about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and help achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which promises sanitation for all by 2030. On the occasion of “World Toilet Day 2019” various events were organized in schools and AWCs under ANSH Project. The community members along with AWW, teachers helped to make the event a success. A total of about 400 adolescents and 200 community members actively participated in the program. Sensitization meetings were conducted with adolescent’s parents and school teachers to discuss about the importance of using toilet and best practices associated with this. Nukad Natak was also performed to demonstration of the importance of toilet and diseases caused through open defecation. A drawing competition among the adolescents helped bring out their perception towards toilet use.

IN THIS ISSUE

Celebration of Poshan Maah

Follow-up Research Study with Adolescents

Networking with Government

Community members took pledge towards following proper hand washing practices in their daily life.

Collection of water sample for water quality testing under ANSH Project

A girl’s promise towards Swachhta on the World Toilet Day, 2019

Plastic free campaign to celebrate 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi

Assessment of WASH status in schools and AWCs

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December,2019 / / ISSUE NUMBER: 03/2019

ANSHika Samachar

ANSH uplifts 5% underweight adolescents to normal BMI category in project area

The recently completed 3rd round of height & weight measurement of selected 2,413 adolescents in Bahraich and Gaya under ANSH recorded improved BMI among 17% adolescents. The improvement was most marked among adolescents who had been severely underweight in the first round of BMI assessment. Overall, 5% moved from underweight category to normal BMI (18.5-25.5 kg/m2) (Figure 2). The 1st round of height and weight measurement for BMI was conducted in November, 2018, followed by second round in April, 2019 and 3rd round in August, 2019. (Figure-1). Figure-3 below shows the trend among the adolescents with different categories of BMI between 1st and 3rd

round in Bahraich and Gaya. A drop of 7 percent points has been registered (31% to 24%) these two rounds among the proportion of adolescents, who were severely underweight (BMI<16). Additionally, the proportion

of adolescents with normal BMI (BMI>=18.5) has increased from 35% in November, 2018 to 39% in August, 2019. Only 2% of adolescents were found overweight.

KEYWORD

September, 2019 celebrated as Poshan Maah

KEYWORD

Assessment of WASH status in schools and AWCs ANSH has conducted an assessment of the WASH status in schools and AWCs in project geography. Total 37 schools and 35 AWCs have been assessed on WASH using the format developed under ANSH Project. It consists various parameters with reference to availability / usage of toilets, hand washing points, hand washing practice with soap and average load thereof. It also helped to aware the School and AWC administration to act according to the gap findings within the existing Government / SMDCs. This resulted in mobilizing the local funds which resulted the repair of hand washing tap, replacing the water filter & cleaning work at schools and AWCs.

20%15% 17%

79%84% 82%

1% 2% 1%

Boy Girl Total

Figure:1 Distribution of the adolescents by change in their nutritional status between Baseline and 3rd Round

in Bahraich & Gaya (N=2413)

Improved Same Reduced

5% 5% 5%

69%

53%59%

Boy Girl Total

Figure-2: Proportion of the adolescents, whose BMI status moved to normal BMI (BMI>=18.5) from

underweight (BMI<18.5) in Bahraich & Gaya (N=2413)

Moved to normal (BMI>=18.5)

Still underweight (BMI<18.5)

31%29% 24%32%

33%35%

35% 36% 39%

Nov'18 Apr'19 Aug'19

Figure-3: Trend of BMI among the adolescents between November, 2018-(Baseline) and August, 2019 (3rd Round) in Bahraich & Gaya (N=2413)

Severely underweight (BMI<16)

Moderately underweight (BMI>=16 to <18.5)

Normal (BMI>=18.5 to 25.5)

To give momentum to POSHAN Abhiyan, ‘National Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges’ on 24th July 2018 decided to celebrate the month of September as National Nutrition Month. To observe this, like last year, this year also ANSH project team in four states celebrated the month as “Poshan Maah”, where following activities were performed: Awareness stall –Towards awareness generation and educating community members about the importance of nutrition, Poshan Maah awareness stalls were organized by ANSH project in the project districts in September, 2019. Over 3,000 people reached to the awareness stalls and received inter-personal counselling on individual nutritional needs, received leaflets with key messages on nutrition and also get exposed to five food groups. Suposhan Swasthya rally – ANSH team organized, Suposhan Swasthya Awareness Rallies in the project geography to make community aware about the evil effect of malnutrition. ANSH project team members, along with local stakeholders, govt. officials and community representatives participated in the rallies

Contd... Poshan Maah Poshan Utsav- ANSH facilitated and organized Poshan Utsav in schools and Anganwadi Centres to discuss about issues related to malnutrition like stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia and low birth weight in children. participants were counselled on nutrition and were encouraged to consume balanced and diversified food intake. More than 1,500 students, 100 teachers, 20 AWWs were reached through “Poshan Utsav” this September in the project geography. Poshan Aap Ke Dwaar (Home Visits)- ANSH project believes that nobody should be left unreached. With this, the team always advocated for regular and frequent home visits to the target beneficiaries. “Poshan Aap Ke Dwaar” -visits to the adolescents at their houses ensured bringing the awareness on nutrition and WASH at the doorsteps by the “Poshan Worriers” (ASHA, AWW & ANM). Health and Nutrition Session- ANSH Project in Gaya district supported a special health and nutrition orientation programme, which aimed to educate the children on the benefit of cleanliness and proper nutrition at 16 schools and 16 AWC. Total 1,700 beneficiaries were covered during the activity. Wall writing- During the national nutrition month, total 34 wall writings on best practices of nutrition and WASH were done by the adolescents, frontline health workers and community members. Adolescent Group Meeting during National Nutrition Month-ANSH managed to organize 20 adolescent group meetings in September. About 700 adolescents participated in these meetings, along with frontline health workers and community members.

A view of awareness stall at collectorate compound

Suposhan Swasthya Awareness Rally

Suposhan Swasthya Awareness Rally

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December,2019 / / ISSUE NUMBER: 03/2019

ANSHika Samachar

Effect of Regular Home Visits on Nutrition and WASH Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Adolescents & their Family To better understand and improve nutrition and WASH related KAP of adolescents and their families, the project teams of Barpeta (Assam) and Vidisha (Madhya Pradesh) randomly selected 50 adolescents with the objectives to:

assess knowledge of nutrition amongst adolescents document food patterns in relation to dietary diversity to asses if home-based one to one counseling in project mode can improve upon

practices The same cohort of homes would be visited over three consecutive rounds to counsel the family members. The second rounds of the follow-up visit, which was scheduled on November, 2019, is now over. By using counselling checklist, the parents are being conveyed about existing goverenment programs such as WIFS and deworming for the adolescents. They are also counseled on healthy eating behaviour and hygienic practices through counseling checklist and IEC videos.

ANSH ambassador of adolescent nutrition and WASH, “ANSHika” is playing significant role towards building good practice among adolescents on nutrition and WASH related knowledge and practices. At each of the ANSH intervention schools and AWCs, a ANSHika corner has been established with a question box in the corner. The adolescents are encouraged to write any questions, they may have and drop it in the question box. Based on the questions, received from the adolescents, ANSH projected designs special counselling sessions to answer these questions. Recently, in Barpeta, Assam, ANSH managed to have the presence of RMNCH Counselor (FAAMCH, Barpeta), who counselled the adolescents on their queries received through Ask ANSHika Question box. During the session, the discussion took place on nutrition, health, dietary habits, menstrual health & hygiene and WASH related issues. In total, 200 adolescents attended the counselling session, organized at 2 schools in Barpeta.

Counselling sessions with ANSHika:

KEYWORD

KEYWORD

Networking and Liasioning with Government ANSH project has established good networking with the state governments in the project states and the state leads have been part of various technical groups and training sessions on nutrition and WASH components, facilitated by the government. One such example of ANSH is involvement as a partner for Technical Support Group-adolescent in Uttar Pradesh. Recently, ANSH supported and facilitated the Common Review Mission visit to district Bahraich and showcased best practices of RKSK program in the district and also shared a brief report with the CRM team about the contribution of ANSH project towards improving adolescent’s health and nutrition status of adolescents of the district. The Hon’ble District Magistrate in Bahraich has kindly inaugurated the Awareness Stall and Suposhan Swasthya Awareness Rallies, organized by ANSH project towards celebration “Poshan Maah” in September, 2019. The Chief Medical Officer of Bahraich district has kindly issued a letter of appreciation recognizing the efforts made by ANSH project in improving the health and Nutritional status of adolescents in the district.

The inauguration of Suposhan Swasthya Awareness Rally by Hon’ble District Magistrate, Bahraich Sri Shambhu Kumar

Planning meeting for Poshan Maah, chaired by the District Commissioner, Barpeta

Interview during follow-up study

CRM team member reviewing AFHS clinic services at district women hospital, Bahraich

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December,2019 / / ISSUE NUMBER: 03/2019

ANSHika Samachar

Sl. No. Social Media URL of ANSH & Pushti Projects’ Social media sites

QR Code

1 Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/Adolescentplus/

2 Twitter Handle https://twitter.com/AnshPushti

3 LinkedIn Profile https://www.linkedin.com/company/anshpushti/

4 WordPress Blog https://anshpushti.wordpress.com/

5 YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWIpalGrxClxluoPEKc56IA

About ANSH

Project ANSH Promoting Nutrition, Sanitation and Health among Adolescents (10-19 years)

JSI R&T India Foundation & SHARP; Supported by GSK Consumer Health

BACKGROUND

Under the Mission Health of GSK-CH, the ANSH (Adolescent Nutrition, Sanitation and Health) project was initiated in March 2018 and invests in improving nutritional status of adolescent girls and boys by strengthening evidence-based globally accepted interventions being implemented by Government of India under its various health and nutrition programs and schemes. The objectives of the project are aligned with those of Poshan Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission -NNM) and Rashtriya Kishore Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK). The project is being technically led by JSI R&T Foundation and implemented by the NGO ‘SHARP. ANSH is implemented in four states in one district each, Bahraich (Uttar Pradesh), Gaya (Bihar), Barpeta (Assam) and Vidisha (Madhya Pradesh). The districts are selected based on their poor performance in key indicators as identified by Niti Aayog and are designated as Aspirational districts.

OBJECTIVES

To provide technical assistance to government and the implementing partner to ensure roll out of relevant health, nutrition and WASH programs for in and out-of- school adolescents in four districts

To increase awareness about undernutrition, create demand for Iron Folic Acid (IFA) and deworming tablets and promote dietary diversity among adolescents in selected sites

Increase and sustain access to IFA and deworming tables in selected sites

Increase access to sanitation and hygiene resources (toilets) for adolescents through schools

Strengthen policy and enabling environment for adolescent nutrition.

Focus on adolescent (10-19 years) girls and boys

Strategy is to improve nutrition through an integrated approach, in alignment with Government and private sector.

ANSH collaborations

End hunger, Achieve food security and Improved nutrition and Promote sustainable

SDG GOAL 2 and 2.2

ANSH in SOCIAL Media