Project Kodaikanal – Direct Intervention

Campaign Story

About the project

The community consists of 840 children across 24 villages in the Kodaikanal block of Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu. Children here suffer from malnutrition and stunted growth due to limited awareness and access to nutritious food and healthy dietary practices. Additionally, many people prefer home deliveries over institutional deliveries, which significantly increases the risk to the lives of both the mother and the child.

Making a difference

CRY America’s project in Kodaikanal aims to provide better access to healthcare for pregnant women and children in the intervention area. Key interventions of the project include ensuring antenatal and postnatal checkups for pregnant women, combating malnutrition among undernourished children, and enrolling children in Anganwadi centers for health monitoring and preschool education. Another key intervention is the formation of Adolescent Girls’ Collectives to sensitize girls on anemia, menstrual hygiene, education, and overall wellbeing.

The way forward

● Ensure enrolment of children in 20 Anganwadi centers
● Ensure that 25 families in 10 hamlets start growing vegetables or nutritious food in their own homes to improve their diet and food access
● Organize 20 Anganwadi-level nutrition camps for nutritious food demonstration programs
● Ensure registration of 28 pregnant women for postnatal care checks and 16 pregnant women for antenatal checks
● Conduct sessions with 20 Children’s Collectives to train them on life skills modules and climate change

Project Impact

96

Children attending preschool education at Anganwadi centers

16

Pregnant women linked to government programs for maternity benefits

6

Severely Underweight children transitioned to moderately underweight

25

Families engaged in kitchen gardening practices

49

Children aged 9–12 months received 100% vaccination

Last year’s approved grant: $6,181

Budget approved for Jan’26 to Dec’26: $5,897

Ajith’s return to school

Ajith comes from a village in Kodaikanal, where difficult terrain and limited road connectivity often make access to basic services a challenge. Growing up in such conditions, even continuing education can become uncertain. When Ajith was in Grade 8, his schooling was disrupted when the school asked him to submit a birth certificate for scholarship applications and online registration, as he was preparing to move to high school. Without this document, he had to stay out of school for more than six months.

The CRY America project team learned about Ajith’s situation through the Children’s Collective in his village. They visited his home, spoke with his parents, and began the process of securing the necessary documents. The team accompanied the family to a government hospital and helped compile supporting records, including his vaccination and immunization details, to apply for his birth certificate. After consistent follow-ups over two weeks, Ajith received his birth certificate and was able to re-enroll in school with the team’s support. To help him continue his education without interruption, the team also facilitated access to a hostel so that distance and transport challenges would not affect his schooling.

Today, Ajith is in Grade 9. He attends school regularly and encourages other children in his community to continue their education.

Project Photo Gallery