Bohras rise against child malnutrition

“The community believes that by helping the less fortunate and disenfranchised of our societies, one is helping oneself to rise, which is why the project has been termed as Project Rise,” said Sadiq Jamaludin, member of Project Rise

Members of the Dawoodi Bohra community and a non-government organisation (NGO), Fight Hunger Foundation, on Wednesday launched ‘Project Rise’ to reduce child malnutrition in Mumbai and Palghar.

The project was kicked off at Govandi in Mumbai . (Ht Photo)

The project was kicked off at Govandi in Mumbai and Mokhada in Palghar. Slum pockets of Umarkhdi, Sathe Nagar and Transit Camp in Govandi and 59 villages in Mokhada will be part of the 1,000-day campaign. According to a survey by Fight Hunger Foundation, the prevalence of wasting (low weight for height) among children below five-year-old is 18.8% at Govandi, while the rate of stunting (low height for age) is around 50%.

At Mokhada, 40% of the children are wasted, while 59% of them are stunted.“A pregnant woman needs to be provided with proper nutrition so that the child does not face problems. So, under the project, we will provide nutrition packets for the first 1,000 days of the child’s life, which will include the nine months of pregnancy,” said Dr Wasundhara Joshi, executive director, Fight Hunger Foundation.

“ The community believes that by helping the less fortunate and disenfranchised of our societies, one is helping oneself to rise, which is why the project has been termed as Project Rise,” said Sadiq Jamaludin, member of Project Rise. “Earlier people weren’t aware of the schemes for pregnant women and children which they can avail. We see that changing now,” said Satish Sonegaonkar, community development officer, M/East ward.