Abdul’s road from weakness to wellness
A 2-year-old child, Abdul*, started losing weight seven months after birth. During one of the growth monitoring surveys, CRY America’s project team in Assam identified him as suffering from Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) and intervened. The project team ensured his complete vaccination and counseled his family on nutritious eating habits. However, due to a loss of appetite, his condition worsened, and the Growth Monitoring Committee (GMC) decided to refer him to the Nutritional Rehabilitation Center (NRC) after he was diagnosed with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).
With the help of the Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM), Anganwadi Workers (AWW), and ASHA workers, the project team counseled Abdul’s hesitant parents to admit him to the NRC. After a doctor at the Primary Health Center (PHC) also counseled the family, they finally agreed. With regular checkups, nutritious food, medicine, and guidance from frontline workers, Abdul’s condition improved, and he fully recovered. He now weighs 10 kg and leads a healthy life with nutritious food habits.
*Name changed and image used for representation purpose only.
The Problem
GVM is working on health and malnutrition issues in 18 villages in Assam. Awareness level in the community, sensitization towards accessing health care services including immunization, lack of services like Ante-natal care (ANC) and institutional delivery, balanced diet and hygienic practices influence the poor health and nutrition outcome indices. It was evidently surfaced that retention and regularity of the children in government schools is a compelling issue. Being a flood and waterlogging prone state, schools are vulnerable to physical barriers and thus parents are scared to send their children to school during the rainy season.
The Solution
CRY America Project GVM is working towards providing access to free, primary healthcare in the intervention areas. The project is working at reducing the rate of child malnutrition in operational areas while increasing the enrollment rate and retention rate in schools. The key activities at the project location are home based tracking of pregnant and lactating mothers, tracking of children for education support, and engagement with children’s groups.
Impact Of The Project
206
health workers trained to manage malnourished children
342
women linked to maternity programs
378
institutional deliveries ensured
948
children received 100% immunization
991
adolescents benefitted from health & nutrition sessions
260
children enrolled in schools
2,077
children retained in schools
2025 Plans
- Ensure the development of the Village Health Action Plan by 10 villages.
- Organize 114 sessions to conduct Village Health Nutrition Day (VHND) in 38 villages
- Conduct meetings with 21 Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committees (VHNSCs) on health and nutrition issues.
- 15 identified severely malnourished children to eb referred to Nutrition Rehabilitation Center
- 770 children aged 6-36 months will receive Take Home Ration
- Organize sensitization sessions for 33 adolescent groups on Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and anemia.
- 217 training sessions for health workers
- Sensitize 448 School Management Committee members on their roles and responsibilities.
- Conduct regular meetings and sensitization sessions for 675 adolescents in the collectives.
- Conduct life skills sessions for 540 adolescents.
- Ensure that all 349 children aged 3-6 years are attending preschool.
- Conduct meetings with 108 parents to ensure regular attendance of their children in schools.
- Ensure the retention of 2,186 children in school
- Education support to 147 children in 6-18 year age group
2025 Total Budget
