By Our Reporter
Shillong, June 1: A delegation from Odisha’s Women and Child Development Department visited Meghalaya from May 29-31 to exchange knowledge and strengthen collaborative governance with respect to ongoing Early Childhood Development (ECD) mission in the state.
An official statement said the visit was aimed at gathering insight into Meghalaya’s best practices in terms of mobilizing collective actions to improve nutrition status of SAM (Severe Acute Malnutrition) children through Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation approach, observe and derive key takeaways from interventions in ECD and practices adopted under Poshan Abhiyan.
Meghalaya was able to achieve 91.3% reduction in SAM and 94% reduction in MAM (Moderate Acute Malnutrition) cases in just 12 months in 2020-2021 through collaborative cross-departmental efforts.
Accompanied by ECD programme managers, officials from Meghalaya’s Directorate of Social Welfare, CDPO and lady supervisors, the Odisha officials visited Bhoirymbong (Lummawria and Umeit B) and Umrynjah Anganwadi Centre to observe pre-school activities. They also visited the Amlarem block to observe the collaboration between MSRLS and ICDS in the distribution of eggs in Thadlaskein through self-help groups (SHGs).
During the visit, Priyadarsini Mohanty, who is the Technical Lead & Consultant (ECCE), Women & Child Health Department, Government of Odisha, expressed satisfaction with the activities in Meghalaya, stating that the distribution of eggs through SHGs at pilot centers was an interesting initiative and worthy of appreciation.
A meeting and sensitization programme for the community and faith-based leaders was observed at Jarain village in the Amlarem block. The Odisha team met the leaders of faith-based organizations and observed how the process of social and behavioural change in basic ECD and nutrition practices is being carried out in the state.
The team appreciated the government’s collaboration with the faith-based leaders and community institutions, which is aimed at strengthening their role in educating communities on the importance of ECD.
The Odisha team particularly commended Meghalaya’s inter-departmental convergence model under the ECD mission where 4 departments – Health, Social Welfare, Education and Community & Rural Development (C&RD) – are working together towards attaining ECD goals. The Odisha officials believed it could be a key takeaway for their state.
Priyadarsini applauded the coordination among Health, ICDS, Education and C&RD departments, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach, which she deemed as a unique initiative from Meghalaya.
“We appreciate the coordination for the ECD mission. It is a holistic approach and a unique initiative from Meghalaya,” she said, adding, “We are eager to support the ECD mission in the future and hope for great outcomes. Upgrading AWCs to provide parenting opportunities is crucial.”
While visiting an ICDS uncovered village at Laitkroh, the Odisha team lauded the efforts of Community Gender and Health Activists in distributing Take Home Rations (THR) in villages not covered under ICDS. The team stated that this was a state innovation worthy of recognition.
The POSHAN team from Odisha also visited Laitkroh to learn how the ICDS officials and community members managed the SAM cases through inter-departmental collaborative efforts.
Later, the team had a debriefing session with Principal Secretary & Development Commissioner Sampath Kumar and Director of Social Welfare Department CD Lyngwa.
It may be recalled that in December 2022 and May 2024, Meghalaya’s ECD team members along with officials from the Directorate of Social Welfare had visited Odisha for knowledge exchange.
A strategy of the Odisha government that stood out the most was the decentralized system of processing THR under the ICDS Supplementary Nutrition Programme. The THR processing units are run by women SHGs/SHG federations and the ration is supplied directly to the AWCs by the SHGs.