Change in the mother - change in the baby

Niduka, 3, swayed between severe and moderate malnutrition during his first year since birth. But like many mothers, his mother Chandrika, 30, didn’t take malnutrition seriously. Almost all the children in their village were underweight and this was considered normal.

“I didn’t know that underweight affects my child’s health including his mental and emotional growth until we became a part of World Vision’s PD Hearth Nutrition Programme,” confesses Chandrika. She thought the child would pick up weight as he grows up.

World Vision’s PD (Positive Deviance) Hearth Nutrition Programme focuses on improving the nutritional status of children through the increase of nutritional knowledge of the mother. The Programme introduced mothers of children with low weights to new methods of preparing high-nutritional meals with locally available foods. While teaching them different methods and recipes for preparing the food in a way that children would like to eat, the programme also gives them health and hygiene awareness and introduce them to good health practices.

See photos of Chandrika and her PD Hearth group. 

“During the first 14-day session Niduka increased by 2 kg,” smiles Chandrika, “I continued to practice the new methods of cooking at home as well and there was a big change in his appetite towards food. He also began to enjoy some of the foods like green leaves and vegetables which he didn’t like before.”

Niduka is a healthy baby now and has not been in the malnourished or underweight range since the Programme. He is very energetic and lively.

PD Hearth also inspired Chandrika to share the knowledge she gained with other mothers in her village. “Seeing the change in Niduka, mothers began to inquire how it happened and I was very happy to share all that I learnt at the Programme.”

Chandrika is now a leader mother and holds PD Hearth demonstrations and health and hygiene awareness to mothers with children who are underweight. “Twelve mothers already completed the programme and there has been a steady increase in the weight of their children. I am now supporting another 12 mothers,” says Chandrika, “Nothing gives me more joy than seeing each child increase in weight.”

“My son’s weight is steadily increasing since I began to attend the nutrition programme led by Chandrika,” says one mother.

“Even at home my children practice hygiene habits they learn at the programme. They make sure I wash their hands with soap before every meal. I feel very proud of them,” says another.

Every mother talks about the changes the Programme has made in them and in their children. Some say they used to spend hours trying to feed the children distracting them with different things so that they don’t realise they are having food. But now the children sit in one place, finish their food and even ask for more.