Milk Project: One of the earliest efforts at improving the nutritional levels among children, pregnant women and nursing mothers began with the distribution of milk in 1984. Milk is a luxury in The Tansa Valley, and rare is the child who gets a daily glass of milk. Today, PRASAD volunteers fan out across the valley, delivering more than 3,750 glasses of warm milk to 19 locations each week, providing much needed protein and calcium to women and children.
The program has been successful in reducing malnutrition and raising the immunity levels of children and nursing mothers in the area. Because we serve the milk in schools, it is also an added incentive for children to attend school.
Meals Program: PRASAD Chikitsa began its Meals Program in November 1996, after doctors at the Mobile Hospital noticed high levels of malnutrition among their patients. The program now provides hot and nutritious meals to children in seven Anganwadis (a type of playgroup similar to kindergarten), serving an average of over 3,000 meals a month. For many children, this meal is their primary source of nutrition.
As a PRASAD Chikitsa volunteer put it: “You think, ‘What’s one meal a day?’ But, over time, the nourishment people receive is more than physical. They learn to feel good about themselves, so you know they’ll do better not just today, but for the rest of their lives.”
