Recognising the importance of child health

Sabita worked in the kitchen with ease, preparing mixed vegetables for her daughter Indira. Sabita was not so at ease a few months ago.

The reason? Her daughter Indira, 2, was malnourished.

Sabita recognised that her daughter was smaller in size compared to other babies of the same age, but she didn’t know she was very sick until she met a Child Health Now (CHN) ambassadors of World Vision who suspected that Indira was malnourished and asked that she be taken to the health post right away.

The health post, which is supported by World Vision, found Indira to be only 7.5kg and referred her to the nutrition rehabilitation centre. Sabita stayed with her daughter at the centre for 16 days, where Indira gained 3kg.

During that time, Sabita learned about the symptoms and reasons of malnutrition. She also learned about hygiene and preparing nutritious foods like jaulo, a rice and pulse super flour.

Now little Indira loves to eat jaulo, green vegetables, and fruit. She has become more active too now that she has more energy.

Sabita and her husband run a small shop in front of their house. Sabita says she never went to school, so she says she was not aware of how to keep children healthy. She never knew about a balanced diet and the importance of much cleanliness and hygiene.

Indira sat on her father Gopi’s lap, looking up to him for a little attention. He gave her a roti and she started nibbling on it. He didn’t know about a father’s role in bringing up a healthy child. It was only after he learned about it from the CHN ambassador who used to visit the house that he realized his role too.

“Whenever I can, I make sure I look after her. Sometimes I cook for her and I even feed her, she loves eggs and asks me to boil eggs for her often,” he says.

Indira likes to eat everything now! She likes to talk too, especially chatting with people who come into her parents shop.

Sabita says that the greatest realisation for her has been recognising her child’s importance.

“I realised that I was not making her diet a priority. I would be busy at work and only fed her when I was free or when she cried for food. But now I have learned that she should be given food on time. Now we make sure we give her food on time and even make sure she passes urine and stool regularly.”

Sabita says that if she had not met the CHN Ambassador who told her about her child’s health status, Indira would probably be on her death bed or very ill, causing problems for her future physical and mental health.

However, realising the mistakes she made, with hopeful eyes Sabita says that she plans to have another baby after two years.

“If I have my next baby I am confident that it will be more healthy. I was ignorant when I had my first baby but I will apply all I have learned and try to learn more so that the baby will have a better life,” she pronounces.