Child, Maternal and Reproductive Health Awareness Initiative (CMH)

CMH revolves around the dissemination of information in a face-to-face, community-oriented event. During the mela held in January 2009 in Baytu, a village in northeast Barmer, for example, significant media coverage of the event helped expand those reached by the students who participated in health care processions disseminating information on CMH activities. This mela also included access to free health check-ups for the 4,000 villagers who attended. In addition, the government set up stalls to address issues such as education, HIV/AIDS, and agriculture. CEDPA/India's country director, Dr. Bulbul Sood, spoke to the crowd about the activities being undertaken in the region by the initiative, which builds on existing health programmes for HIV prevention but particularly focuses on women's health in the community.

Because volunteers and community members are conducting outreach, capacity-building is key to the initiative. Thus far, over 130 male community health volunteers, auxiliary nurse midwives, secondary school teachers, peer educators, and youth facilitators have been armed with the tools to inform and educate their communities on reproductive health through various project activities. Activities include meetings, village health days, immunisation drives, health camps, processions, and health melas.

Health, Reproductive Health, Child and Maternal Health, Immunisation and Vaccines, HIV/AIDS, Nutrition.

According to CEDPA, approximately 2 million people live in 2,000 small villages scattered throughout the harsh terrain in the project area. The area is prone to drought and flash floods, which make development difficult and migration among its inhabitants common. These factors contribute to the poor health care status of the women and children of the region. Only 4% of women receive antenatal care, most women give birth at home rather than health care facilities, and 90% of the women and almost half of all children under six are malnourished. Only 28% of women have ever heard about HIV/AIDS, and only 70% of those women are aware of safe sex as means of prevention.

Since the inception of the project and in addition to the 4,000 attendees at the health mela cited above, more than 1,100 people have been counseled on safe motherhood, more than 800 children have been immunised against polio, and 2,000 students have participated in nearly 100 processions to disseminate information on health issues and events.