Education, Health and Nutrition
Badlao Foundation's Efforts in Santhal Pargana
Addressing Malnutrition and Empowering Communities
Malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency pose significant challenges for women and children in the Santhal Pargana region. Recognizing this pressing issue, Badlao Foundation goes beyond imparting nutritional knowledge to communities and actively promotes the concept of kitchen gardens at the household level. By encouraging changes in food habits among tribal communities, we aim to empower them to lead healthier lives. Over the years, we have mobilized families to prioritize vegetable cultivation in their gardens, focusing on green vegetables like brinjal, bitter gourd, green gourd, pumpkin, ladyfinger, and more, according to the season. Additionally, we motivate them to plant fruits such as papaya, drumstick, banana, and others, enhancing their dietary diversity and nutritional intake.
In the districts of the Santhal Pargana division, the literacy rate stands at around 65 percent, with a noticeable gender gap. This gap widens further among Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes, particularly impacting the literacy rates of women within these communities. These low literacy rates, coupled with deep-rooted traditions, especially among tribals, contribute to a poor quality of life in the area.
Santhal Pargana is predominantly rural, with many villages located in remote hilly and forested areas. Consequently, government health services are often lacking or inadequate in these regions. The absence of accessible healthcare exacerbates the prevalence of malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies among women and children.
Badlao Foundation remains committed to addressing these challenges by empowering communities, promoting education, and advocating for improved healthcare services. Through our interventions, we strive to uplift the quality of life for individuals and families in the Santhal Pargana region, ensuring their access to proper nutrition, healthcare, and opportunities for a brighter future.
Badlao Foundation's Nutritional Initiatives
Promoting Health and Empowering Communities
Badlao Foundation is dedicated to imparting nutritional knowledge to communities, aiming to improve their overall well-being. One of our key initiatives involves popularizing the concept of kitchen gardens at the household level, particularly within tribal communities, to bring about positive changes in their food habits and enable them to lead healthier lives. Over the years, we have actively mobilized families to engage in vegetable cultivation in their gardens, while also encouraging the planting of nutritious fruits like papaya, drumstick, banana, and more.
By emphasizing improved nutrition, we strive to enhance overall health and well-being among the target population. Through extensive awareness campaigns, we aim to empower individuals with the knowledge and tools to adopt healthy lifestyles and protect themselves from seasonal and preventable diseases.
Education plays a crucial role in shaping society, and the lack of education, particularly among Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), contributes to various challenges. Harmful practices, such as early marriage of girls, continue to persist in the area. Superstitions and beliefs in witchcraft prevail, leading to the persecution of single women, sometimes with tragic consequences. Addressing these societal ills requires a comprehensive approach that combines education, awareness, and advocacy.
Badlao Foundation remains committed to combating these challenges by promoting education, raising awareness, and fostering a more inclusive and progressive society. Through our initiatives, we strive to empower individuals, challenge harmful beliefs, and foster an environment where everyone can live with dignity and equality, free from discrimination and prejudice.
Educational Support by Badlao Foundation:
With the purpose of improving the educational level of children and adolescents, the organization was involved in both Informal and formal education programme.The non formal education was concentrated on primary education while formal education was focused on higher education. The formal education was running with collaboration of govt. agencies while informal education was supported by supporting organizations.
Informal Education
The informal education was conducted under different basic Education programmes like RIP (Reading Improvement Programme) SQIP (School Quality Improvement Programme) and Support class for Weak Students were orga-nized. These programmes, were running in different districts.
Formal Education
The formal education was mainly meant for providing higher education with special focus on backward community. Such education was provided through following educational institutes:Green Wood School
Since 2002 Badlao Foundation is running Green Wood School with the self-support of organization but certified by Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India. The school provides education to children from a peripheral distance of approximately 4 Kms. The education is imparted to children both in English and Hindi medium. The school is equipped with professional teachers.
NIOS
Badlao Institute of Education has also been accredited by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and has been declared as an acclaimed centre for Degree and Certificate courses.
IGNOU Study Centre
We are running the above said centre having 14 courses like B.A., B. Com, PGDRD, BPP etc. The strength of the students in the reporting year was 1009. This initiative has really contributed to the mainstreaming to education of the drop outs.
Badlao Institute of Training and Management
It was the dream of Badlao Foundation to utilize its expertise of development sector to promote expertise among the youngsters who are now interested to work in development sector and promote their career as a professional.
Health and Sanitation
The health and sanitation programme of Badlao Foundation are aimed to elevate the health status and improve health conditions through different health and sanitation activities. These activities are executed through direct interventions and convergence of govt. programmes.
Core activities under health programme are:
- Badlao Foundation collaboration with ChildFund India taken an initiative with special emphasis on improving maternal health, reduce maternal mortality rates, significant reduction in under-five mortality rates, universal spread of immunisation, universal access to reproductive health, while ensuring institutional delivery, combating the spread of endemic diseases like malaria, kala azar, etc.
- Health awareness among rural community on Safe Motherhood & Childhood, STI/RTI/ARSH HIV/AIDS & T.B, Contraceptive choices/safe abortion, Counseling on Nutrition.
- Organizing Health Camps on Eye care and Vision Testing for children of 35 govt. schools and General Health Checkup for rural community.
- Reproductive and Child Health (RCH): Promotion of Institutional Deliveries (Institutional deliveries increased from 64% to 86% and Promotion of Immunization of child and mother in 30 Villages of nine panchayats.
- Mobilized medicines of Rs.10 Lakh for Health Mela/STI, RTI Camps and 88 families (out of 107) got Janani Surakshya Yojana benefit.
- Orientation Programme on Safe Motherhood, Contraception promotion including safe abortion, Gender Dis-crimination etc.
- Orientation & Training of ICDS functionaries
- Low cost latrines for 314 families have been constructed.
- Sensitization of adolescents on adolescent’s health & RH.
- RTI/STI -3 camps were organized jointly with District Rural Health Mission.
- Badlao Foundation continuously adapted and adjusted op-erations, leveraging social network to deliver and learning lessons to help improve response efforts. Badlao Foundation continues to work in responding to prior infectious disease emergencies, employing a science-centric and service approach to deliver the better understand COVID-19 and mitigate the burden and impact in Santhal Parganas of Jhar-khand.
